Kevin Durant is well-aware of the trade rumors attached to his name this summer–and he’s not happy about them.
Prior to the first round of the NBA Draft last month, multiple ESPN insiders reported that the Houston Rockets were stockpiling picks in order to make a run at acquiring Durant. Stephen A. Smith also said during episode of First Take that the Phoenix Suns wanted to move on from the two-time NBA champion.
Following Saturday’s Team USA practice in Las Vegas, Durant expressed his disapproval for the whispers in an interview with Yahoo Sports.
“You could just press the ‘KD want to leave’ button anytime you want some attention,” Durant told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill.
“Yes, it’s a button. What else is gonna get people going around this time? Besides, ‘Oh, the journeyman is leaving again.’ That story is always gonna hit.”
Durant, 35, went on to call the rumors “lies” and says he has been in regular contact with his Suns teammates and team personnel.
“So for somebody to say, ‘Phoenix wants to get out of the KD (business),’ I’m sitting here like, where is this coming from?” Durant said. “It bothers me that people lie like that and that the audience eats up the headline. I get sad when people buy into lies and just make up s–t.”
For what it’s worth, Suns owner Mat Ishbia also said prior to the first round of the draft that Durant was staying in the desert.
“Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it,” Ishbia wrote on X/Twitter. “Gotta love draft night! Go Suns.”
Durant was traded to Phoenix during the 2022-23 season. The team reached the second round of the NBA playoffs that year, but was swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves this past season.
Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the regular season.
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