If reports are true about the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant, well, could you really blame them?
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Those reports suggest that the Suns want to move on from Durant and that the Houston Rockets are among the interested. Durant, 35, and his Suns were swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs. So, yeah, why not try to move on with someone younger?
"Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying, they want out of Kevin Durant right now," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on the air, reading what he suggested was a text from a league source.
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst indicated the Rockets may be in pursuit. Or at least listening to the Suns.
"If they hold that pick (No. 3 overall) and they draft Donovan Clingan out of UConn, a center, it is an indication that they are willing to do business on Alperen Sengun, their very talented young big man, because Sengun is due a contract extension," Windhorst said, via NBA Central. "The Rockets played very well last year after Sengun got hurt; they played Jabari Smith at center, their first-round draft pick from two years ago. And if they take Clingan, it's like an indication to the market that they may be willing to move on from Sengun."
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to link Durant to the Rockets.
Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists 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.
According to NBA reporters Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic, Durant never felt comfortable with his role in the Suns' offense.
"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 Devin Booker and Bradley 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 Frank Vogel and his coaching staff."
Since leaving the Golden State Warriors, Durant has won only two playoff series. He's been swept twice in the first round of the postseason.
Phoenix replaced coach Frank Vogel with Mike Budenholzer, who beat them in the 2021 NBA Finals with the Milwaukee Bucks.
(Portions of this article were originally posted on Hoops Wire and reprinted with permission.)
