An experiment unlike any other: and for perhaps the wrong reasons. When the Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant in February 2023, it was the biggest trade for the franchise since Charles Barkley.
This also marked the biggest mid-season trade in recent NBA history. But what happened after Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in the 2025 offseason? Let's take a trip down memory lane.
After Durant landed in Phoenix, he only played eight games due to injury. Still, the core of him, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton, were intimidating on paper. In those eight games, the team went 8-0.
Still, they only managed to make it to the second round and lost to the eventual NBA champion, the Denver Nuggets. That offseason, the commitment to winning a championship was on.
They traded for Bradley Beal and formed a Big 3 that had championship expectations written all over it. The trio won zero playoff games together and missed the playoffs entirely in the 2024-25 season.
Before the 2025-26 season tips, Durant spoke with Sports Illustrated regarding his true feelings about the franchise.
“I wanted to retire in Phoenix . . . It’s a different vibe over there, man . . . I really had good intentions when I stepped foot in there,” Durant says. “The picture in your head doesn’t always come to fruition.”
Kevin Durant and the Suns had championship expectations
Since Durant went to the Suns, everyone expected him to bring the city's first NBA championship. They came close three times (1976, 1993, 2021) before the slim reaper arrived.
Durant and Booker had championship DNA written pouring from the team. Adding Beal to the mix only sealed that aspiration and heightened that goal.
Plus, team owner Mat Ishbia was willing to go over the luxury tax and into the second apron. It cost them years of draft picks and nearly left them in basketball purgatory.
They didn't have any signs of sustaining success. Injuries were a major part, and perhaps the biggest part. The Big 3 rarely saw playing time together, and the chemistry sometimes showed.
The offensive power was there, but the defensive… not so much. They also went through two “championship” coaches in Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer; the latter was the one who missed the playoffs entirely.
Those expectations, with a limited roster of veteran-minimum players, made life difficult, even for someone as talented as Durant.
“In Phoenix, everything had to work perfectly for us,” says Durant. “I felt like when we played well, we could compete with anybody in the league. But the great teams, they could make a couple of mistakes, and their talent from top to bottom could mask that a little bit.
“We didn’t have that type of room for error. And that was a little frustrating. It’s not a bad place to be. I felt like we had a chance every night with the talent that we had, but I wish we had a little bit more room for mistakes. If you turn it over here, give up a rebound there—we couldn’t allow that at all in Phoenix, so that was tough to deal with.”
The Suns and Rockets have a win-win deal with the Kevin Durant trade
It's not often that a trade will benefit both sides, but it seems that it already has. Durant is thriving with the Rockets and is appearing to be the isolation and bucket-getter that they've needed.
On the flip side, the Suns were able to significantly retool around Booker. No one can replace Durant, but they acquired players who fit the current team mold.
Jalen Green brings athleticism and shot-making in the backcourt that can complement Phoenix's all-time leading scorer. Dillon Brooks brings an edge that the team has been missing for seasons.
He resembles someone like Jae Crowder, who can be that enforcer while being an effective offensive contributor.
Lastly, the Suns drafted Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 pick acquired from Houston. The former Duke center has already made a lasting impression with his energy and enthusiasm.
Furthermore, his defensive instincts for being such a raw player are unmatched.
As the regular season tips off in a matter of days, both teams will have different expectations. The Rockets will have a potential championship expectation, much like how it was for Durant when he was with the Suns. On the flip side, Phoenix will hope to get its foundation on bedrock, and not sink in the sand.
If things go according to plan, this could very well be one of the few win-win trades in NBA history. But that is a major if, and no one will know until the regular season tips off.
