Kevin Durant exploded against the Suns owner: "He acts like I was arrested for driving drunk"

Kevin Durant has not taken well the words of Mat Ishbia regarding his time with the Phoenix Suns. The owner of the Arizona franchise recently reviewed the mistakes he made at the beginning of his tenure on CNBC Sport, including the decision to bet on the forward to try to win the NBA championship. These statements have provoked a public response from the star of the Houston Rockets, upset with the way that operation has been presented.

"#blameKD, even though KD continued to play at an extraordinary level at 36 years old and gave you back that 'culture' that you love so much," Durant wrote on his X account this Saturday. The player also joked about Ishbia's speech: "Hey, Matthew acts like I was arrested for driving under the influence or something like that."

The Suns' owner directly responded to the message to defend himself from the criticism and clarify his words. "Obviously, you didn't watch the video. I didn't blame you, KD, but I am happy with the culture we are building here in Phoenix. We have the right players and the right focus, and we are excited about this season. Good luck this season in Houston," Ishbia posted.

Durant questions the Suns' narrative

The origin of the controversy lies in an interview given by Ishbia to CNBC Sport, in which the owner explained what he had learned during his first years at the helm of the franchise. The acquisition of Durant, who arrived in February 2023 through a highly impactful trade, became one of the examples he used to illustrate the need to define an identity before making significant investments.

"When I bought the team, I think we were the eighth or ninth seed. We had good young players and I thought: 'Can we take the next step?'. Basically, I was told to stay out of it as an owner. So I said: 'Look, we are going to pay the luxury tax. Do whatever it takes to try to win a championship.' And that's what we did," Ishbia explained.

The owner of Phoenix stated that the main lesson he learned from that experience was not about evaluating Durant positively or negatively, but about the need to maintain a clear direction. "We have to define what we are in Phoenix, stay true to it, and believe in our vision and our path. I didn't do that at the beginning. I simply tried to fix the problem by throwing money at it," he acknowledged.

However, Durant believes that this narrative does not adequately reflect his individual performance during his time in Arizona. The forward maintained top-level statistics and understands that he should not become the main culprit for the project not achieving the sports objectives set.

A project that did not meet expectations

Durant's arrival in Phoenix occurred on the same day Ishbia acquired the Suns, in February 2023, for a valuation of $4 billion. The deal with the Brooklyn Nets included sending Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, along with four unprotected first-round draft picks and the right to swap another first-round pick.

The investment reflected the ambition of a franchise that wanted to compete immediately for the championship. However, the project only achieved one win in a playoff series during Durant's two and a half seasons in Phoenix, an insufficient record for the expectations generated by the trade.

"We were there for a couple of years, and it was unsuccessful, as we all know by now," Ishbia admitted. The owner explained that, after that period, he decided to trade the player, bring in Brian Gregory as the director of basketball operations, and hire Jordan Ott as head coach, in addition to personally getting involved in defining the profile of the members of the organization.

"After that year, I decided to trade Kevin Durant, bring in my general manager, Brian Gregory, hire a coach, and be very active in the type of player and person we want in our organization, not just on the court, but off it as well," he detailed.

Ishbia insisted that the issue should not be reduced to Durant's talent but to the absence of a defined collective identity. "There was no established culture or clear direction in which we were heading. That's why bringing in players with extraordinary talent like Kevin Durant does not necessarily lead to winning championships," he stated.

Durant seeks the championship with Houston

Durant ended up leaving Phoenix in the summer of 2025 to join the Houston Rockets in the first seven-team trade in NBA history. In his last season with the Suns, he averaged 26 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 62 games, numbers that support his argument that his individual level was still up to expectations.

According to ESPN Research, the forward has averaged at least 25 points per game, a 50% shooting percentage, and a 40% three-point shooting percentage for four consecutive seasons, the longest streak in NBA history with those records.

At 38 years old, Durant is entering his second season in Houston after signing a two-year, $90 million contract extension in October 2025, with a player option for the 2027-28 season.

The discussion with Ishbia reveals two different interpretations of the same gamble. The owner believes that the operation highlighted the risks of trying to build a title contender solely through major signings, while Durant asserts that his performance was not the problem that prevented Phoenix from reaching its goals. Now, the forward will try to demonstrate with the Rockets that he can still compete for the championship while the Suns seek to consolidate the new direction that their owner advocates.