During the Team USA minicamp for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Las Vegas, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker praised owner Mat Ishbia’s social media post, which quelled trade rumors about Kevin Durant before the 2024 NBA Draft.
“I’ve never seen an owner do something like that before,” Booker said. “It shows what kind of person Mat is. He’s fully committed to our team. We believe in our group and our talent.”
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Rumors about Durant circulated after the Houston Rockets traded with the Brooklyn Nets, acquiring some of the Suns’ future draft picks from the original Durant deal. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Rockets wanted to trade for Durant, despite Phoenix’s stated intention to keep their core intact, as reiterated by general manager James Jones.
The day after the trade rumors, Ishbia expressed his support on social media, stating, “Phoenix loves Kevin Durant, and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix. We are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it.”
Durant expressed frustration to Yahoo! Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, as this was another instance of speculation about his future based on reports not from his side.
“People can just make up lies and everyone believes them,” Durant said. “You can press the ‘KD wants to leave’ button anytime for attention.”
Durant added that he remains in daily contact with the Suns about future plans.
This offseason, the Suns focused on keeping their core players together, aiming for greater success in their second year as a group, a common path for many teams before achieving greatness.
“You have to go through it,” Booker said. “Boston experienced it. The addition of Jrue Holiday helps a lot. Moving forward, you live and learn. Experience is the best teacher.”