Kevin Durant ready to move past trade deadline speculation, get back on court for Suns
PHOENIX (AP/AZFamily) — Kevin Durant is still with the Phoenix Suns and ready to get back on the court after last week’s eventful trade deadline full of speculation that the franchise was open to dealing the 15-time All-Star.
“It’s just part of the business,” Durant told reporters at practice on Monday. “Everybody’s bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction, so I understand that. It’s just about getting back on the court and trying to go out and play the game that I love.
“It’s part of the business though — we’ve all got to understand that.”
The Suns ended up having a relatively quiet trade deadline, dealing disgruntled center Jusuf Nurkic to the Charlotte Hornets but keeping the rest of their core intact.
The team’s Big 3 of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are still together as the franchise tries to gain ground in the standings.
Phoenix has a 26-26 record and is tied with the Sacramento Kings for ninth place in the Western Conference with 30 games to play and the most difficult schedule left in the league.
Durant and Beal were the subject of rampant trade rumors before last week’s deadline.
The word toxic was used to describe the Suns’ locker room following the trade deadline after reports of Durant turning down a reunion with the Warriors and the team failing to engineer a deal to get Jimmy Butler out of Miami.
“My happiness will be evaluated but it should be the office that’s being evaluated every day because they make these decisions. I realize I got the bigger name so everyone is going to try to figure out my feelings at this time,” Durant said. “Even if they don’t check in on me, that’s just the game that I’m in and life that I chose and I got to accept it.”
Durant also shot down the ESPN report that the locker room is toxic after weeks of trade rumors.
“It’s easy to say the locker room is not connected when you come in 45 minutes before the game and guys in game mode, not talking to each other. It’s not a welcoming environment right before the game. I think it’s unfair and lazy to categorize our team as toxic when you come in for five minutes throughout four months and that’s the only time you’ve been in and then make a narrative for that. But like I said, that’s part of the game,” he said.
Tight-lipped Phoenix general manager James Jones didn’t offer many clues as to how seriously he considered moving either player when asked on Friday.
“It always gets noisy when you’re not winning,” Jones said. “And we’re not winning.”
The 36-year-old Durant has missed the past three games with a sprained ankle but hopes to return for Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Suns are just 2-11 this season when the 6-foot-11 forward is out of the lineup.
Durant is still one of the game’s elite scorers, averaging nearly 27 points per game on 52% shooting.
The veteran is under contract with the Suns next season and said his goal has always been to play out the remainder of his deal.
“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 the team or even dangle me in a trade.
“It’s part of being in high demand.”
Durant needs 26 points to become the eighth player all-time to score 30,000 points in his career.
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