Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia addressed the end of superstar Kevin Durant’s tenure with the team and the reasons behind the organization’s decision to trade him.
Durant came to the Suns via the Brooklyn Nets. The 15-time All-Star forward forced his move down to the Suns via a request and ended up landing at his desired destination.
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His time in Arizona was not fruitful; instead, it ended in an acrimonious manner after both parties agreed to part ways.
Over the offseason, the Suns dealt Durant to the Houston Rockets, while also buying out guard Bradley Beal, effectively ending an era of basketball centered around Durant, Beal, and franchise player Devin Booker.
Beal and Durant were brought in to complement Booker and build around him, but the partnership ultimately proved short-lived, resulting in no Western Conference Finals berth.
Now, the Suns are headed down a path similar to the one the Nets took — rebuilding and retooling the roster with draft picks and younger players.
During an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, Ishbia opened up about why the Suns decided to move on from Durant.
“[Kevin Durant] is a great player, nobody can ever question that, but he just wasn’t a fit for what we’re doing going forward,” Ishbia said.
“He’s had an amazing career, but he’s not a fit for what we’re doing going forward. We wish him the best, but we love the guys we got.”
How did Kevin Durant do with the Phoenix Suns?
Durant got traded to the Suns in the middle of the 2022-23 season. He, Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton led the team to a series win against the Los Angeles Clippers that year.
The 2023 Suns were eliminated in six games by the Denver Nuggets, a solid season considering how much time he missed and the improvising the team did to fit Durant.
In 2024, the Durant/Booker/Beal Suns got swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. By 2025, with its third head coach in as many seasons, Phoenix was a complete disaster. The Suns did not even make the play-in tournament.
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