Kevin Durant may have played his last game with the Phoenix Suns. After the Suns finished the 2024-25 season with a disappointing 36-46 record, falling short of securing a playoff or play-in spot entirely, Phoenix is looking to make some changes before next season. The Suns already took the first step in those changes, parting ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer, making it the third coaching change in as many seasons for Phoenix.
The next step may be finding a new home for Durant, as ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting that the Suns are “expected to engage in trade conversations involving Durant,” and will work with his representation to find him a place he wants to go. Phoenix is also expected to look at moving Bradley Beal, though his no-trade clause makes that far trickier. It’s far more likely that Beal gets bought out to sign elsewhere if the Suns can’t find a trade for him.
Durant has been the topic of trade rumors all season. Ahead of the trade deadline in February, there was a framework of a deal where Durant was headed to the Golden State Warriors, but the two-time champion nixed that plan by saying he didn’t want to play there again. More recently, ESPN reported that there was mutual interest between Durant and five other teams prior to the deadline: the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have been attached to Durant for some time, so perhaps this summer is when they finally make a run at the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer. Durant had a stellar season with the Suns, averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting an incredibly efficient 52.7% from the field and 43% from 3-point range. He and Devin Booker carried the Suns all season, but that potent duo wasn’t enough to pull out wins on more than a handful of occasions.
As a result, the Suns will miss the postseason for the first time since 2020. If the Suns close the book on the Durant era in Phoenix, it will have amounted to two playoff appearances in three seasons and one playoff series win. Certainly not the outcome Phoenix expected when they emptied out their war chest to the Brooklyn Nets to nab the generational talent. Injuries have been at least a little to blame, but Phoenix’s roster construction was incredibly limited once it also sent all of its remaining assets to acquire Beal, leaving them with a top-heavy roster these past two seasons and little room to adequately add depth surrounding those stars.
Now, though, it appears as though the Suns are ready to reset, or at least reshuffle, to create a more cohesive roster, and Durant will yield them a great haul to rebuild around Booker going forward.