In the blink of an eye it felt like the Phoenix Suns shifted their focus from trading Bradley Beal to trading Kevin Durant in the last days of the NBA trade deadline in their quest for Jimmy Butler.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“It’s part of the business,” Durant said. “Everybody is bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction. I understand that.”
Durant’s comments ring true now more than ever. Especially after Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old, five-time All-NBA selection, barely entering his prime, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the night with no warning.
But Durant isn’t used to that. He’s always managed to control his own destiny, whether it be through free agency or the trade market. So when reports came out that the Suns were taking calls on Durant in the final days ahead of the trade deadline, he was rightfully shocked. But again, he understands the business and, if anything, it reinforced how much he’s actually worth in his 17th season.
“It’s not a bad thing that people around the league want me to play for them,” Durant said. “It’s not a bad thing my organization here is fighting off people to keep me on a team or even dangle me in a trade. Part of being in high demand.”
Although it was never full reported, many speculated that Durant, 36, being inexplicably thrown in trade talks would dissuade him from signing a two-year extension with Phoenix and put his future with the Suns in jeopardy.
Did this trade period change things for Durant and his future?
“No,” he answered. “I always had a goal of just playing my contract out and seeing what happens. I can’t focus on a year and a half down the line. I try to focus on the day ahead of me.
“I know that’ll be a topic. That’s probably the most frustrating part about being in trade talks, is that the microscope is going to be on solely me for the rest of the season. And my body language, how I speak to (the media) after the games, how I’m looking on the bench, that stuff will be magnified.
“Which sucks, but that’s part of the business I got to just deal with and accept. But if I keep the main thing the main thing, people will focus on that.”
Durant, a now-15-time All-Star, is eligible for an extension with the Suns. But, as he said at media day ahead of the season, “I got two years left on my contract. I’m focused on being the best I can every day in the moment. We’ll figure out that stuff when it’s time.”
WATCH: Suns general manager James Jones addresses media after NBA trade deadline
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
