Kevin Durant’s agent, Warriors owner talked as eyes remain on Suns star
Feb 4, 2025, 8:39 AM
The ball is in Kevin Durant’s court. That was the summary from former pro Kendrick Perkins, who on the Monday edition of SportsCenter suggested that the Phoenix Suns star might consider a return to the Golden State Warriors.
It was reported Tuesday by Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro and NBA insider Jake Fischer that Golden State had done more than check in with Phoenix about Durant’s ability with the trade deadline looming Thursday. Gambadoro termed the Warriors’ inquiry about trading for Durant as an “aggressive” one.
Then The Athletic’s Anthony Slater added this tidbit about the Suns-Warriors game in the Bay Area on Friday:
Golden State owner Joe Lacob sits in the first row across from the Warriors’ bench and often hosts guests in the two seats next to him. Against the Suns, he had Rich Kleiman — Durant’s long-time agent and business partner — planted directly to his left. The two were seen conversing during the game and were spotted together at halftime and postgame in the Bridge Club, an exclusive lounge in the underbelly of the arena between the home and visiting locker rooms.
Fischer had reported that Durant was “aware” of the Warriors’ interest, and now it’s perhaps easy to see why.
Slater added that Lacob and Kleiman developed a relationship when the All-Star teamed with the Warriors from 2016-19, helping them win two NBA championships.
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What does this all mean?
The facts on Durant: He is 36 years old and in a contract year next season if he doesn’t come to an extension agreement.
The Suns have lost two in a row to the Portland Trail Blazers and have showed zero evidence that the Booker-Durant pairing has championship potential under three head coaches who have coached in the NBA Finals at some point in their careers. Phoenix (25-24) is at a rare fork in the road.
The pre-deadline spotlight has shined on reported Suns target and thrice-suspended Jimmy Butler for nearly two months now.
But attached to that, it has shined on Phoenix guard Bradley Beal’s own ball-in-court situation: His no-trade clause that gives him control on if, when and where the Suns might trade him.
Then the Mavericks swapped Luka Doncic for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, and De’Aaron Fox’s trade availability lasted just a few days before he was sent from Sacramento to San Antonio. The latter deal included former Bull Zach LaVine.
So it’s Butler’s remaining exit that has eyes on it.
It is attached to whether Beal would be fine playing elsewhere and if the Suns can find an elsewhere first. And if Butler does not end up in Phoenix, then Durant’s future might be attached to that if this is the last point in time for the Suns to hit the eject button on this era.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia and his basketball executives have given zero telegraphing that they are ready to push that eject button.
For what it’s worth, on Monday night, Ishbia even used Devin Booker’s new place as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer to tag on an important few words about the guard’s part in the future: “So proud of all your success on and off the court in PHX and excited to see you continue to do amazing things here for years to come (Emphasis, mine).”
We’ll take it literally: Booker isn’t going anywhere. What happens around him is anyone’s guess, but his two well-paid teammates have a say.
The Doncic trade was a rarity in the superstar-driven league.
Like Butler’s uneasy but likely successful exit out of Miami, the ball is indeed in Durant’s court.
