Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia said NBA legend Kevin Durant will not be traded.
The Houston Rockets are interested in acquiring Durant, but Ishbia said Durant is unavailable.
NBA Draft night is the best. Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong.
My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta…— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) June 26, 2024
According to NBA reporter Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, the Suns are not looking to trade Durant, Devin Booker or Bradley Beal.
Phoenix went 49-33 in 2023-24 but was swept in the first round of the 2024 playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks in 2023-24 while shooting 52.3% from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc and 85.6% from the free-throw line. The two-time NBA champion will make $49.9 million next season.
Booker averaged 27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 49.2% from the floor, 36.4% from 3 and 88.6% from the free-throw line. The Kentucky product will make $49.4 million next season.
Finally, Beal averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in his first season with the Suns while shooting 51.3% from the field, 43.0% from beyond the arc and 81.3% from the free-throw line. The veteran guard, who has a no-trade clause, will make $50.2 million next season.
The Suns fired Frank Vogel after one season and hired Mike Budenholzer, who won the 2021 title with the Milwaukee Bucks against the Suns.
Phoenix enters the offseason with $209 million in salary, the biggest payroll of any NBA team, and faces a projected luxury tax penalty of $116 million.
According to NBA reporters Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic, Durant never felt comfortable with his role in the Suns’ offense alongside Booker and Beal in 2023-24.
“Meanwhile, Durant, among the best scorers in NBA history, was not always happy with how he was used,” Charania and Haller wrote. “Sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season. Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper designs to play to his strengths as the offense was built around pick-and-rolls.
“At the same time, some teammates and people close to the organization believed Durant needed to voice his concerns more adamantly and directly with Vogel and his coaching staff.”
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