Kevin Durant has revealed that he and his representatives prevented a trade back to the Golden State Warriors at last season’s deadline.
Speaking at the Game Plan Sports Business Summit in Los Angeles, Durant explained that he first heard about being shopped by the Phoenix Suns in early February. The news caught him off guard after what he thought was a strong relationship with the organization.
“Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship, me and the Phoenix Suns,” Durant said, via RealGM. “And to hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting, but that’s just the name of the game.”
The 36-year-old confirmed that the Warriors were among the teams pursuing him, but he and business partner Rich Kleiman moved quickly to shut down those talks. “I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline,” Durant said. “We were able to tell them to kind of hold off on that.”
Durant remained in Phoenix through the end of the season, though he missed the last seven games after an ankle injury on March 30. The Suns went 1–6 in his absence, finishing 11th in the West and missing the postseason.
Despite the disappointment, Durant put up elite numbers in 2024–25, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 62 appearances. He also passed 30,000 career points and became the second player alongside LeBron James to score 40 against all 30 NBA teams.
Once the offseason began, his trade market quickly reopened. Houston, San Antonio, and Miami emerged as potential destinations, with Minnesota showing interest as well.
By June, a deal with the Houston Rockets was finalized, sending Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach to the Suns. Durant cited the groundwork from February as helping pave the way for the summer move.
“Since me being on the market in February, people were just kind of seeing how their seasons played out and what they needed for their teams,” Durant said. “We knew we would revisit that right around the summertime, and Houston kind of jumped on, and it happened pretty fast from there.”
Durant now enters his first season in Houston, where his scoring and veteran presence are expected to accelerate the Rockets’ climb in the Western Conference standings.
