After two and a half unsuccessful seasons with the Phoenix Suns, which is the only proper way to describe Kevin Durant’s stint in Arizona after just two playoff wins, Durant decided to change scenery and move to the Houston Rockets.
Neither big-spending owner Mat Ishbia, the talent of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, nor even championship coach Mike Budenholzer were enough for this team to achieve results. Why that was the case may have been best explained by their former member Vasilije Micic on the Xs and Os Chat podcast.
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“He’s surprised at how little he was used in Phoenix as an example, considering what he’s doing. KD often has that uncomfortable body language, but he’s actually a cool guy. That’s just his protection, he has his reasons for being that way, but he’s very open to conversation. He’s extra intelligent. We used to talk, and his basketball vision is on a completely different level, from understanding to analyzing the opponent,” Micic stated.
KD couldn’t understand why others didn’t look at basketball the way he did
Micic’s words only confirm KD’s portrayal as a huge basketball fanatic. With a somewhat old-school mentality, he’s the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, constantly perfecting his game and never satisfied no matter how good he is.
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It was obvious that the rest of the Suns’ roster simply wasn’t as committed as Durant, which bothered him. He couldn’t understand why others didn’t look at basketball the way he did. As someone who had won before, he believed he was the perfect example of what it takes to reach that level, but the rest of the team clearly didn’t follow, something the Suns’ results ultimately confirmed.
Even though Booker and Durant put up great stats, especially offensively, the team collapsed last season and didn’t even make the Play-In. Kendrick Perkins later called out Isbia for ruining the Suns since taking over.
“One could argue, or one could say that the Phoenix Suns have been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA over the last three to four years,” Perkins said on the Road Trippin’ podcast. “Where they were, what four or five years ago. NBA Finals, culture, Monty Williams, CP3, just got dominated by Giannis.”
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“To all of a sudden, you trade your number one pick in DeAndre Ayton, who you took in that draft…. You give up a Cam Johnson, you give up a Mikal Bridges. Where is KD at now?… You acquire Bradley Beal, who is making a whole lot of f—ng money with no trade clause. You run through two championship coaches, two.”
Suns tried to shortcut their way back into the Finals
When the Suns built their roster organically through the draft and steady growth, they made the NBA Finals in 2021. But they fell apart when they tried to shortcut their way back to the top by trading nearly all of their valuable assets, the perfect complementary pieces around their leader, Booker.
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Ishiba’s example is the complete opposite of what the Oklahoma City Thunder have been doing over the past few years, and it’s becoming clear there will be fewer and fewer extreme cases where owners play the role of reckless millionaires.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.