According to ESPN's well-known commentator Stephen A. According to A. Smith, NBA superstar Kevin Durant was not happy with the Phoenix Suns, and Smith said that Durant did not speak to then-head coach Frank Vogel for more than a month. After the Suns were swept out of the playoffs by the young Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's playoffs, head coach Vogel was fired after just one season in charge of the team, and the Suns hired Mike Budenholzer, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship in 2021, as their new head coach.
The Suns had a poor regular season this year, finishing sixth in the West with a 49-33 record and barely getting the last spot to qualify directly into the playoffs, but they were swept out of the tournament by the Timberwolves in the first round. Durant is averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and five assists per game this season while shooting 52.3 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from three-point range and 85.6 percent from the free throw line, earning an annual salary of $49.9 million next season.
According to well-known NBA reporter Shams Charania and The Athletic's reporter Doug Halle, Durant is uncomfortable with his role on the offensive end of the Suns. Charania and Haller wrote: "At the same time, as one of the best scorers in NBA history, Durant hasn't always been happy with the way he's used it. Sources with knowledge of the matter told The Athletic that Durant is uncomfortable with his role in the Suns' offense this season alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Durant has been having problems with offense, feeling often relegated to the corner and not having a proper tactical design to play to his strengths, the sources said, as the Suns' offense is built around pick-and-roll. ”
Durant is a very introverted person, he is used to holding everything in his heart, and at most he uses his trumpet to vent on social media. As a result, some teammates and those close to the team agree that Durant needs to be more assertive and direct about his concerns with Vogel and his coaching staff.
The Suns enter this offseason with a total salary of $209 million, the highest-paid team in the league, and are expected to face a hefty luxury tax penalty of $116 million. However, according to reports, Suns owner Matt Ishbia wants to retain the downloaded core lineup, so the Suns are not expected to trade Durant, Booker or Beal, so their salary for the new season is very limited, and there is not much room for manoeuvre, so they can only hope to dig into the inner potential and count on this same core roster to play better under the new coach, but it seems that it will be difficult at the moment.
Since leaving the Golden State Warriors, Durant has moved between the Brook Nets and the Phoenix Suns, and his teammates have been swapped from Irving and Harden to Booker and Beal, but he has only won two playoff series and was swept twice in the first round of the playoffs.