The seeds are being planted for another potential Kevin Durant exit.
After the Timberwolves swept Durant and the all-hype, little-results Suns on Sunday, The Athletic reported Durant being displeased with his role this season while playing for first-year coach Frank Vogel.
“Meanwhile, Durant, among the best scorers in NBA history, was not always happy with how he was used. Sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside (Devin) Booker and (Bradley) Beal this season,” according to the outlet. “Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper designs to play to his strengths as the offense was built around pick-and-rolls. At the same time, some teammates and people close to the organization believed Durant needed to voice his concerns more adamantly and directly with Vogel and his coaching staff.”
The Suns acquired Durant from the Nets last February, hoping he could help return them to the NBA Finals after their losing effort in 2022, but they’ve taken successive steps backward the last two years.
Phoenix earned the No. 4 seed last year and beat the Clippers in five games in the opening round before falling to the eventual champion Nuggets in six games in the semifinals.
This year’s Suns team, featuring a big three of Durant, Booker and Beal, won more games than last season’s Suns team but earned the No. 6 seed.
Facing a Timberwolves team it downed in all three regular-season matchups, the Suns lost three of the four games by double-digit points.
The series encapsulated a team in Minnesota that appears to be ascending, while the Suns and their high-priced stars seem headed nowhere.
Durant played in 75 games this past season, his most since 2018-19, and averaged 27.1 points per game, although his field goal percentage dropped from 57 percent to 52.3 percent.
The 35-year-old had a solid postseason, averaging 26.8 points per game, including a pair of 30-plus-point efforts in Games 1 and 4, but the Suns could not keep up with Minnesota.
Phoenix is now 6-9 in the postseason with Durant on the roster.
With bloated salaries on the roster and a team seemingly regressing, the Suns will have to take a deep look at their roster to see what moves they can make to better position themselves for the future.
Durant, who has played for three teams in the last six years, has shown in recent years he is willing to head elsewhere if he feels it provides him with a better chance to win.
The veteran has a cap hit of $51.2 million next season and is under contract for the next two years.
