Kevin Durant departure from the Phoenix Suns this offseason marked the end of a short and turbulent chapter, but as the superstar recently revealed, his exit could have come much sooner.
Speaking on CNBC’s Game Plan 2025, Durant admitted the Suns quietly shopped him around the league before February’s trade deadline — despite him never asking out.
“Around February the Suns had pretty much let the league know I was on the market,” Durant said. “Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship, me and the Phoenix Suns. To hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting. But that’s just the name of the game. I got over it quickly and started figuring out what the next steps were.”
Warriors Come Calling
One of the teams that came closest to striking a deal was Durant’s old home, the Golden State Warriors. The prospect of a reunion — rejoining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green — created buzz around the league.
But Kevin Durant, despite the pull of nostalgia, wasn’t interested.
“I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline,” Durant revealed. “That’s where Rich [Kleiman] came into play. Those relationships we built around the league, and also my time in Golden State, helped. He was able to tell them to kind of hold off on that.”
Not even Curry himself could sway him. Durant clarified that he held no grudges toward the Warriors but was unwilling to accept a midseason move that would uproot him instantly.
Suns Era Fizzles Out
Instead, Kevin Durant stayed in Phoenix until the end of the season — though it was a forgettable conclusion. The Suns finished 36-46, 11th in the West, missing even the play-in tournament. Over two and a half seasons, the Durant era yielded just one playoff series win, far below the lofty expectations when he first arrived.
By the summer, both sides were ready to move on. Durant was dealt to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster seven-team trade. At 36, he leaves Phoenix with averages of 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game — still elite production, even if his peak explosiveness has dulled.
A New Chapter in Houston
Now in Houston, Kevin Durant joins a hungry young core aiming to climb from first-round exits to legitimate contention. The Rockets are suddenly viewed as one of the West’s top challengers.
Durant knows the road won’t be easy, but with his pedigree as a scorer and champion, Houston believes they have the final piece to push them into the NBA’s elite.
