NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant will leave Phoenix Suns this summer
Wrapped up in a possible deal that would take him to the Golden State Warriors has infuriated the 36-year-old superstar, who now wishes for a change of scenery.
The inconsistent Phoenix Suns did not drastically change their roster before the NBA Trade Deadline this past Thursday, February 6, despite the rumors. They now have to play the rest of the season with a supposedly upset Kevin Durant. ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the situation of the 36-year-old superstar on his Hoop Collective podcast and said that the future Hall of Famer was not happy to be included in trade rumors.
"What prevailed from the trade deadline was what didn't happen, that Kevin Durant stayed," Windhorst said. "He wasn't pleased to be put in trade talks. It's unpredictable what will happen in the coming months because it's the nature of the sport, but I think it's reasonable to predict now that Durant will part ways with the Suns in the summer. Today he hasn't, but it doesn't seem like the long-term forecast because he was very frustrated."
"Today I spent a lot of time on the phone with people involved in this situation. People from Miami. People from Golden State. People from Phoenix. Others. I would just say that what bothered Kevin Durant the most, I think, was not knowing he was involved in trade discussions. Usually, a star player of his caliber likes to be involved in trade talks. That was an issue. The issue is that the Suns ended up with nothing."
The deal that almost sent Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Durant was blindsided by his name in the rumors, further highlighting the fact that he was not included in any discussions. Phoenix was linked to Jimmy Butler for much of the lead-up to Thursday's deadline, and Charania and Windhorst reported that the Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat were close to a deal that would have sent Butler to Phoenix and Durant to Golden State.
However, they noted that Durant made it clear he did not want to return to the Warriors despite winning two championships there a few years ago. Instead, the Suns traded Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick.
One of the Suns' issues in negotiations was the difficulty in unloading Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause in a contract that will pay him a $53.7 million base salary next season before a $57.1 million player option in 2026-27. NBA reporter Jake Fischer had reported that he wanted to remain in Phoenix.
So the Suns largely remain unchanged at this point, with plenty of question marks arising from the deadline, not least of which is about Durant's future. KD is under contract until the 2025-26 season and may seek an exit after the playoffs.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rumores NBA: Kevin Durant saldrá de Phoenix Suns este verano
