When the 2024-2025 season started, the Phoenix Suns were expected to have an NBA Finals run with their star-studded trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal fueling high hopes. But basketball is a game of results, not projections.
The Suns stumbled to a disappointing (36-46) record, ultimately failing to make the playoffs. While Phoenix’s season is long over, their offseason drama is just beginning. Trade talks surrounding Durant have taken center stage, and now one of his former teammates has issued a stark warning to teams considering adding the superstar to their roster.
Kendrick Perkins Believes That Kevin Durant Doesn’t Have the Old Spark Anymore
In a recent episode of the “Road Trippin’” podcast, former NBA player and Durant’s ex-teammate Kendrick Perkins shared his brutally honest take on the situation.
Perkins who played alongside Durant for five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, cautioned teams to “approach with caution” when pursuing the 36-year-old forward.
“Obviously, he’s going to be traded from the reports before the draft or maybe on draft night,” Perkins said. “I would like to tell the teams out there that’s actually looking to get Kevin Durant approach with caution, okay? Because Kevin Durant is not a needle-mover, in my opinion, no more when it comes down to if you’re trying to win a championship.”
“And this is not something that I’m making up,” Perkins continued. “This is facts, right? Like, he hasn’t moved the needle. Brooklyn Nets, one of the biggest busts in NBA history with that Big Three in Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Move over, you go to the Phoenix Suns, another bust with another Big Three. Two firings of two championship coaches in Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer.”
Perkins’ comments are especially notable given his history with Durant. During their five seasons together in Oklahoma City, Durant was unquestionably one of the league’s most electrifying players, averaging 28.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
Durant has played for four teams so far during his illustrious career including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. In the upcoming offseason, if he gets moved, it would mark his fifth team.
While his talent remains undeniable, his ability to push a team over the championship hump is something that Perkins has questioned.
His greatest success came during his time with the Warriors. There he won back-to-back NBA championships in 2017 and 2018. However critics often argue that while Durant was Finals MVP both years, the Warriors’ core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were the true engine behind those title runs.
Since leaving Golden State, Durant’s teams have struggled to make deep playoff runs. With both the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, the furthest he has reached is the second round of the playoffs.
Now according to ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania three teams are after Durant. They are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat, with Minnesota reportedly emerging as the front-runner.