Despite being on the radar of many franchises during the trade window and speculations about Phoenix Suns being ready to trade the 15-time All-Star, Kevin Durant has remained a part of the franchise. Subsequently, KD has made peace with his reality and is ready to go out and play for the Suns again.
“It’s just part of the business,” Durant told reporters at practice on Monday. “Everybody’s bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction, so I understand that. It’s just about getting back on the court and trying to go out and play the game that I love.
“It’s part of the business though - we’ve all got to understand that.”
The Suns had a relatively quiet trade deadline, trading center Jusuf Nurkic to the Charlotte Hornets while keeping the nucleus intact. The team's Big 3 (Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal) are still together as the franchise aims to improve its standings.
Phoenix is 26-27 following the game against the Grizzlies and stands in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Prior to last week's deadline, trade speculations swirled around Durant and Beal. When asked on Friday about how seriously he considered
“It always gets noisy when you’re not winning,” Jones said. “And we’re not winning.”
After missing out on three consecutive games, Durant returned on Tuesday against the Grizzlies and scored 34 points, with 3 rebounds and as many assists. Despite the exceptional performance, Suns ended up on a losing note.