There was an expectation that the Phoenix Suns would contend for a championship with Kevin Durant. That’s the reason why management traded for him in 2023 from the Brooklyn Nets. They even brought Bradley Beal to the mix from the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately for the Suns, their failed Big 3 with Devin Booker did not work. This summer, they parted ways with Durant and Beal.
KD was traded to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, three first-round picks in the 2025 NBA draft and two future picks. For Beal, his contract was bought out by the Suns, and he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The team couldn’t make things work with the three stars. On Wednesday, the organization had its Media Day, and majority owner Mat Ishbia addressed their offseason moves. In addition to discussing the trade process, Ishbia clarified why Durant is unsuited to the team’s future goals.
“Kevin Durant’s a great player, there’s no one that can ever question that,” said Ishbia during his interview with ESPN. “[But he] just wasn’t a fit for what we’re doing going forward.
“Obviously he’s had an amazing career, but he’s not a fit for what we’re gonna do going forward.”
"[Kevin Durant] just wasn't a fit for what we're doing going forward."
—@Suns owner Mat Ishbia reflects on trading Kevin Durant to the Rockets pic.twitter.com/1DHpg0l5aq
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 24, 2025
The Phoenix Suns hit the reset button over the summer and are focused on creating a new identity. He expressed the team’s willingness to build a distinctness following the failed superteam.
“After last season, we said, ‘That old stuff that we did? It didn’t work,’” the owner said. “Let’s get it done the right way. Let’s build an identity. Let’s get alignment across the board. Let’s get on the same page, from the front office to the coaching staff, scouts, to the massage therapists … and then we go.”
Ishbia took responsibility for the Phoenix Suns’ past mistakes
When Ishbia took over the team as the majority owner, there was a significant shift in how they approached their plan to contend for a championship. Before his time, the Phoenix Suns were carefully built through the draft. Which is how the team got gems in Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
Chris Paul was their largest acquisition. But things changed under Ishbia’s leadership, and the Suns attempted to build a superteam. However, that failed and a lot of the blame was put on Ishbia, which he took ownership of during his time talking to the media on Wednesday.
“It starts with me and I told you I took the blame, that when I bought the team I didn’t come in and set the right identity and culture on the men’s basketball side,” Ishbia said in his opening statement.
Suns team owner Mat Ishbia opening statement at Suns media day. #Suns pic.twitter.com/4ax6VbusVu
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 24, 2025
Ishbia believes the Suns have a new identity moving forward. Though fans have yet to see how well the new roster will perform.
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignkarlmarcamurao@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
