Kevin Durant Bothered by 'Lies' and When People 'Make Up S--t' About NBA Trade Rumors

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant spoke out Saturday against recent trade rumors that he labeled as "lies."

During an interview with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, KD gave his thoughts on the rumor mill and why some recent reports bothered him:

"So for somebody to say, 'Phoenix wants to get out of the KD [business],' I'm sitting here like, 'Where is this coming from?' It bothers me that people lie like that and that the audience eats up the headline. I get sad when people buy into lies and just make up s--t.

"It's bigger than ball at that point for me. I can't control that. I feel for people. It's a bad practice to have when you just believe anything, for one. Just believe what you see on TV. And then it's another bad habit when you're just lying."

Durant may have been referencing comments recently made by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who said last month on First Take (h/t NBA Central) that the Suns "want out of Kevin Durant right now."

Smith's report came after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Houston Rockets had interest in acquiring Durant, only to be told by the Suns that they intended to keep KD.

In an apparent response to Smith's report, Suns governor Mat Ishbia made a post in support of Durant and his future with the franchise on X:

Durant noted Saturday that it's "hard not to hear" what people are saying about him since he is constantly under the microscope, and he expressed his belief that reporters can "press the 'KD want to leave' button anytime you want some attention," even when it isn't true.

Since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency 2016 after a nine-year run with the organization, Durant has had something of a nomadic existence.

He spent three years with the Golden State Warriors, parts of four years with the Brooklyn Nets and his preparing for his third season with the Suns.

The 35-year-old veteran is a surefire future Hall of Famer thanks to his 14 All-Star selections, four scoring titles, two NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards and one NBA MVP Award.

He is also still playing at an elite level, as he averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 three-pointers made and 1.2 blocks in 75 games last season, while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range.

Durant finished ninth in the NBA MVP voting as a result, and he figures to be among the league's best players again next season if he can stay healthy.

Expectations were sky high for the Suns last season thanks to the formation of a "Big Three" comprised of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but they largely disappointed as a unit.

Although they went 49-33 and reached the playoffs, they were swept out of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, resulting in the firing of head coach Frank Vogel.

Vogel has been replaced by NBA championship-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer, and all signs point toward Phoenix largely running it back with the same roster next season in hopes of returning to championship contention.