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Kevin Durant on the scrutiny that comes with trade talks<\/p>\n
Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant talked about the pressure involved in trade talks back in February after the trade deadline.<\/p>\n
Kevin Durant will return to Phoenix on Nov. 24 to face his former team, one of the five must-see games for the Suns this season.<\/p>\n
The Suns dealt Durant to Houston before the 2025 draft as part of a historic seven-team trade. Phoenix acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft who wound up being Duke freshman 7-footer Khaman Maluach.<\/p>\n
The Suns regular season schedule was release on Thursday, Aug. 14. Here are the five must-see contests:<\/p>\n
Nov. 24 \u2013 Durant\u2019s return: Rockets at Suns<\/p>\n
The Suns were thinking championship when they landed Durant from Brooklyn in a blockbuster deal before the 2023 trade deadline that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks to the Nets.<\/p>\n
Durant averaged 26.8 points in his 2\u00bd seasons in Phoenix, reached the 30,000-point mark, but the Suns only won one playoff series during his time there.<\/p>\n
The Suns not only fell way short of expectations with the all-time great, but entertained trade offers before the 2025 deadline he ultimately shut down.<\/p>\n
When Durant was eventually traded, Kay Adams asked Durant at a Fanatics event June 22 in New York about \u201ca lot of heartbroken Suns fans\u201d over the trade.<\/p>\n
Durant\u2019s response: \u201cI just felt like they wanted me to go. They got what they wanted. I got what I wanted. So, we can move on, and good luck to them going forward. Always remember my time there, but we’re on to something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect boos. Not Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> level, but boos incoming.<\/p>\n Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green discusses joining the team<\/p>\n New Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green on joining the team after being traded from the Houston Rockets for Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n Oct. 22 \u2013 Season opener: Suns at Kings<\/p>\n The new-look Suns open the 2025-26 season with more questions than answers.<\/p>\n How will the Devin Booker-Jalen Green backcourt look?<\/p>\n The Suns have preached all summer about playing hard, physical, aggressive and fast under first-year head coach Jordan Ott.<\/p>\n How does that carry over into the season?<\/p>\n How much playing time will rookies Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea and Maluach get early?<\/p>\n That\u2019s just three of many questions for the Suns. Not to mention the Kings have a solid team that went 3-1 against Phoenix last season.<\/p>\n Nov. 6 \u2013 Beal\u2019s return: Clippers at Suns<\/p>\n The Suns dealt Chris Paul in landing Bradley Beal from Washington two summers ago in 2023 to pair the three-time All-Star with Booker and Durant.<\/p>\n Phoenix only got 78 games with this Big 3 largely due to Beal battling multiple injuries. Beal played in only 53 games in each of his two seasons.<\/p>\n Then Suns coach Mike Budenholzer even benched Beal, who hadn\u2019t been a reserve since his fourth NBA season in 2015-16.<\/p>\n Having a five-year, $251-million contract that included a no-trade clause gave Suns fans even more reason to criticize Beal. This dislike unfortunately spilled over into a fan heckling his wife while she was with their children at a game in Phoenix last season.<\/p>\n “My wife was pretty calm about it, but my son is right there. She’s not going for none of that.”<\/p>\n Suns guard Bradley Beal on his wife as she took to social media to address a fan heckling her husband to a point their six-year old was crying when the fan, according to her, said.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/TzyVoX1bO7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Suns wound up buying out Beal\u2019s contract. Beal gave back essentially $13.9 million of the $110 million that remained on his contract over two seasons.<\/p>\n The Suns will stretch $96 million to $97 million over five years at about $19.4 million a year as part of a salary cap hit of $23.2 million, but the buyout puts the Suns under the first and second tax apron.<\/p>\n Beal ended up landing a two-year deal for $11 million with the Clippers with a player option. Beal said he needs \u201ca ring\u201d when addressing his decision,<\/p>\n Uh oh. Again, expect boos for his return.<\/p>\n Nov. 28 \u2013 Defending NBA champions: Suns at OKC<\/p>\n Any game against the league\u2019s best is meaningful \u2013 and a measuring stick.<\/p>\n The Thunder have the league\u2019s reigning NBA in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder boasted the top defensive team in the regular season and playoffs in winning their first NBA championship.<\/p>\n The Suns have lost six straight games to the Thunder. The last time they met in OKC, Phoenix lost, 140-109, Feb. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n Might get even uglier this time.<\/p>\n Dec. 23 \u2013 Ayton returns with LeBron, Luka: Lakers at Suns<\/p>\n Deandre Ayton was a major part of Phoenix\u2019s resurgence that led to reaching the 2021 NBA Finals and winning a franchise-best 64 games the following season.<\/p>\n He was a talented big, but inconsistent.<\/p>\n The Suns decided to part with him right before the 2023 training camp. They traded Ayton to Portland in a three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Jusuf Nurkic to Phoenix.<\/p>\n The Suns haven\u2019t gotten the same production at center since, but Ayton underperformed in his two seasons in Portland. The Blazers bought out Ayton, who has since joined the Lakers.<\/p>\n Paired up with Luka Doncic and LeBron James, Ayton is once again back on a championship contender that\u2019s also Phoenix\u2019s biggest rival.<\/p>\n Suns-Lakers matchups are always intense, especially in Phoenix.<\/p>\n Adding Ayton to the mix will certainly enhance this matchup.<\/p>\n Have opinions about the current state of the\u00a0Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at\u00a0dmrankin@gannett.com<\/a>\u00a0or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at\u00a0@DuaneRankin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Support local journalism: Subscribe to\u00a0azcentral.com<\/a>\u00a0today.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/84875536007-jalen-greene-int.jpg\"\/)
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