PHOENIX (July 11, 2025) — Kevin Durant may no longer suit up in the Valley, but his time with the Phoenix Suns remains a topic he’s not shy to address. On Thursday morning, Durant engaged in a back-and-forth with fans on X, responding to a thread criticizing his playoff shortcomings with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns. His reply? “None of it’s my fault.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It was a blunt but unsurprising response from the 15-time All-Star, who has often been at the center of legacy debates. This time, the discourse focused squarely on his inability to lead two star-powered teams to a championship.
Mar 17, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Durant deflects blame on Suns failures:
During his three healthy season with Brooklyn, the roster was belittled with injuries and drama that isn’t directly correlated to Durant. Kyrie Irving’s injury in the 2021 playoffs had the Nets fall one game short of being the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Then, trade requests by James Harden and Irving plagued team morale that left Durant no choice but to jump off a sinking ship.
However, Phoenix is a different story. While injuries hindered the team in certain aspects, the team never illustrated any glimmer of hope of being title contenders. Durant and co-star Devin Booker both remained to play at an All-Star level during their tenure together as teammates. The problem might lie in the Bradley Beal trade during the 2023 offseason.
Jan 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) with guard Bradley Beal (3) and Devin Booker (1) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Durant did push for the franchise to trade for Beal, but many players and front office personnel shared the same desire to trade for the three-time All-Star. Beal averaged 30+ points per game in back-to-back seasons and was one of the best scorers in the league. His offensive prowess wasn’t the problem, but the 32-year-old’s injury history caught up with Beal in Phoenix.
Beal has played in 106 out of a possible 164 regular season games, with injuries to his back, hamstring and more hindering his play on the court. The new Big 3 in the Valley wasn’t compatible and lacked any connectivity on the floor together. Booker and Durant had record of 78-47 on the court together, but only was slightly about .5o0 when Beal was added to the lineup.
Jan 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Bradley Beal (3) and forward Kevin Durant (35) stands on the floor during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Fans replied to Durant’s post by calling for him to be a better leader in the locker room, which he responded by calling out fans’ cluelessness for never being in a practice.
Durant’s in time in Phoenix was a failure, only having six playoff wins in his tenure. The blame for the team’s shortcoming can be thrown in a million different directions, with the many poor decisions by the front office. The franchise are trying to retcon those mistakes this offseason by drafting and trading for young, hungry players for next year.
The future Hall of Famer doesn’t believe he should shoulder any of the blame, and whether fans agree with his opinion, Durant averaging 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his time in Phoenix makes it hard to disagree.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
