Kevin Durant said he understood why his name was in the trade rumor mill amid reports that he was blindsided by the Phoenix Suns‘ talks with the Golden State Warriors, his former team.
“It’s just business, man” Durant told reporters following the Suns’ Feb. 10 practice. “It’s part of business. Everybody is bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction. So I understand that. It’s just about getting back on the court, trying to go out there and play the game that I love.”
Kevin Durant speaks on the following:
On Suns talking with Warriors about him before trade deadline: “Just business, man. It’s part of the business. Everybody is bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for action. I understand that.”
When asked about reports of Suns… pic.twitter.com/vEtKuAMhVc
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 10, 2025
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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne reported that a multi-team trade framework that would have seen Durant return to Golden State was discussed before he got wind of it and ultimately thumbed it down.
“The three-way talks even expanded to loop in Washington. Those talks included Butler, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, two first-round picks (from the Warriors) and two second-round picks (one each from the Heat and Warriors), and pick swaps going to the Suns, sources said. The Warriors would’ve received Durant, while the Heat could’ve received Wiggins, Cleveland’s 2025 first-round pick (via Phoenix), Dennis Schroder and Kyle Anderson,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote.
‘Nobody’s Above the System’
According to the ESPN report, the Suns wanted Butler and shake things up amid the team’s struggles this season and their mediocre 26-26 record. The Suns are currently fighting with the Warriors and the Sacramento Kings for the last play-in berth. Trading Durant was their only pathway as Bradley Beal was adamant in not waiving his no-trade clause.
“I’ve been around noise before. … I understand the business,” Durant told reporters. “That’s what we all signed up for.”
The Warriors were emboldened by the shocking Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis swap between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
After Doncic, a 25-year-old five-time All-NBA player who has yet to reach his prime, was traded, every star on the league was put on notice. Even Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star and an 11-time All-NBA player and a former league MVP.
“Nobody’s above the system,” Durant said. “As much as how much status I got and how much I’ve acquired in this league, you’re still not above the business and I’ve always understood that.”
Kevin Durant’s Contract Situation
Durant explained that his great NBA resume is “a double-edged sword.”
“When you build yourself up to be this great and you do it for this long, [expletive] like that happens,” Durant told reporters. “It’s not a bad thing that people around the league want me to play for them. It’s not a bad thing. My organization here is fighting off people to keep me on a team or even dangle me in a trade. Part of being in high demand.”
Now that he survived the NBA trade deadline, the chatter shifts to his future in Phoenix after this season.
Durant bypassed a one-year, $60 million contract extension before this season. He will be eligible for a two-year, $120 million maximum extension in the offseason.
“I always had a goal of playing my contract out and see what happens,” Durant told reporters. “I can’t focus on a year-and-a-half down the line, I just focus on the day ahead of me.”
Kevin Durant Frustrated With the Spotlight on Him
While Durant understood that being in the rumor mill and trade talks is part of the business, he is irked that it became public.
“I know that will be a topic,” Durant told reporters. “That’s probably the most frustrating part about being in trade talks is that microscope is going to be solely on me the rest of the season and my body language, how I speak to you guys after the games, how I’m looking on the bench. That stuff will be magnified, which sucks.
“But like I said, that’s part of the business. I got to just deal with and accept it. If I keep the main thing the main thing, then that could be the main focus — we turn around and play well. People will focus on that.”
And if they don’t turn things around in Phoenix, Durant will continue to dominate the trade chatter heading into the offseason.
Suns Front Office Fortunate to Have Kevin Durant
According to ESPN, Durant did not approve a reunion with Stephen Curry and the Warriors because “he was happy in Phoenix and wasn’t looking to play elsewhere.”
Durant still maintained his respect toward the Suns’ front office despite the highly-publicized trade talks involving him.
“I always keep my relationships under wraps, and I don’t think I should be speaking on our personal relationships to the public,” Durant told reporters. “I don’t think that’s fair to the people involved in that. So I’m out here to do my job and to do the best as I can and support everybody in the building as much as I can, and that’s always been my goal every time I step in here.”
The Suns’ front office is fortunate that Durant isn’t a diva star, who had every reason to make this situation untenable.
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