Kevin Durant’s stint with the Phoenix Suns has been underwhelming, to say the least. He joined the team in February 2023 with the franchise as well as him hoping they would help each other seal a championship run. Disappointments in two subsequent NBA playoffs have placed the 36-year-old Durant and the Suns at the crossroads. Will he exit? Suns owner Mat Ishbia feels KD will stay put.
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Durant doesn’t have much time left to win a championship. And if Phoenix has another poor season, he could ponder whether the team has what it takes help him earn another ring. The forward isn’t averse to forcing an exit. Let’s not forget how the Suns landed him from the Brooklyn Nets.
Ishbia is confident Durant won’t do to them what he did to the Nets. He insisted KD will retire in Phoenix, trusting their process.
“We have a great relationship with Kevin. He’s a great guy, loves being in Phoenix, we love having him. He’s done great things… We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long term and we hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix. That’s what we expect… Kevin wants to be here, we want Kevin here.” Ishbia told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Ishbia’s confidence could be misplaced, considering it’s Durant he’s talking about. Loyalty to a franchise and a city has never been his strongest suit.
Besides, the results are not confidence inspiring either. In the 2023 playoffs, KD’s first with the Suns, they were ousted in the second round by the Denver Nuggets. In the offseason, the franchise replaced head coach Monty Williams with Frank Vogel, signed Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, and became title favorites on paper.
They, however, ended sixth in the West and went out in the first round of the playoffs following an humiliating 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Durant, though, has spoken about a long stay with the Suns in the past.
Durant wants to be a Sun until the sun sets on his career
In an interview in February this year, ESPN‘s Mallika Andrews asked Durant whether he planned on spending the rest of his career in Phoenix. He responded:
“Right now I would say yes, but that’s just a figure of speech, I can’t know what’s going to happen. I love playing in Phoenix, I love our fans, I love the city… I realized what our mission is by being in the Valley and I realized how much these people care about their team. I started to understand the history of the Phoenix Suns and I am happy to be a part of it. One day, I would like to receive the franchise’s Ring of Honor.”
Leading the Suns to a championship is the only way Durant can join the likes of Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, and Amar’e Stoudemire in the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
And, verbal commitments, be it in the past or present, aren’t binding. Until the forward signs a new deal with the team, Ishbia’s dream to ensure Durant retires as a Sun is nothing but farfetched.
