Kevin Durant’s time with the Phoenix Suns ended this summer, but the superstar revealed he was nearly shipped out months earlier.
Durant explained how he found out the Suns were shopping him before the February trade deadline, speaking on CNBC’s Game Plan 2025.
“So I would say around February the Suns had pretty much let the league know that I was on the market,” Durant said.
The 36-year-old admitted he hadn’t asked out and was caught off guard when the news reached him.
“Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship,” Durant explained. “Me and the Phoenix Suns. And to hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting, but that’s just the name of the game. So I got over that quickly and was trying to figure out what the next steps were.”
One of those possible steps involved the Golden State Warriors. Durant confirmed his former team was in discussions before the deadline.
“I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline,” Durant said. “That’s where Rich [Kleiman] came into play, and those relationships that we built around the league, and also playing in Golden State, helped. So, he was able to tell them that. Kind of hold off on that.”
Even Stephen Curry’s presence wasn’t enough to sway Durant.
He later admitted he turned it down because he didn’t want to move mid-season.
“People were kind of just seeing how their seasons played out and what they needed for their teams,” Durant explained. “And we knew we would revisit that right around the summertime. And Houston kind of jumped on, and it happened pretty fast from there.”
Phoenix finished 36-46 and missed the play-in, closing the book on Durant’s brief run in Arizona.
He left the Suns averaging 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Now in Houston, he joins a rising Rockets squad looking to contend in the West.
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