Last season, it was no secret that the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant were heading into an inevitable divorce.
However, little did Durant think that it would happen as early as the trade deadline, when the Suns reportedly were shipping him around the league, much to his surprise. Durant didn’t hide the fact that he was hurt and disappointed by what the Suns management did behind his back.
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“I’m hearing real people that I respected, that are credible in this business, telling me that this s—t is about to go down. So I’m on the phones heavy. No fu—ing way they trying to do this s—t behind my back and they ain’t say nothing to me. I said, ‘that’s fu—ed up,'” Durant said on Netflix’s new documentary entitled “Starting 5.”
Durant then had one request
It wasn’t a surprise that Phoenix was shipping KD during last season’s trade deadline simply because there was no evident light at the end of the tunnel for them. They had a record of 25-25 and it was clear that the trio of KD, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal had run its course.
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The superteam couldn’t find a way to stay healthy all together and had problems building chemistry on the court. On top of that, they had the league’s 28th best defense which was their biggest weakness. There was clear tension between the players and former Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer.
That’s why by the time the season got past December, the “Slim Reaper” knew that he wouldn’t last long in Phoenix. Even if he was surprised to find out that he was being shipped around during the trade deadline, he accepted his fate and had one simple request and that’s not to trade him to the Golden State Warriors — who at that time were also looking to turn their season upside down.
“I understand the business. I know I’m the guy if this was going south, I’d be the easiest to trade, but don’t send me to the Warriors. Make it somewhere else but the Warriors. I didn’t want to go back to the storyline and I don’t want to go there and gut the whole team. First of all, I don’t even want to get traded,” Durant added.
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Durant ended up on the Houston Rockets
The Suns ended up granting Durant’s request and then traded him to his ideal destination, specifically the Houston Rockets, as early as June. Durant wanted to go to a contender that didn’t have to give up as many assets to acquire him via trade. True enough, the Rockets ended up giving up just Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the number 10 pick in this year’s draft and five second-round picks in what ended up being a blockbuster trade involving a historic record of seven teams.
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KD joins a Rockets squad that ended up retaining its rising core and additionally, upgrading on offense thanks to him. Ultimately, it was Kevin who won the trade because not only did he get his wish to not land on the Warriors but he also found a way out of his situation in Phoenix and is now on a team that’s in position to make a strong run this coming season.
That goes to show how much power he still has in this league.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.