Suns' Kevin Durant Reportedly Expected to Miss at Least 1 Week With Ankle Injury

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is expected to miss a minimum of one week with a left ankle sprain, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The 15-time All-Star left Phoenix's 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets after logging 23 minutes. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game Durant would stay back to undergo an MRI with the team starting a three-game road trip Tuesday.

Both the injury and the fact it came in a 39-point defeat summed up this year for the Suns. Few teams have been a bigger disappointment on the court, and Phoenix's struggles are owed in part to Durant missing 13 games.

The 36-year-old continues to perform at a high level. He's averaging 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting, including 43.0 percent on three-pointers. His contributions have nonetheless failed to move the needle.

There's a sense of inevitability with what comes next. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported in February that everybody is largely aligned in believing KD will be moved in the summer.

The Suns can still make the postseason, but at 35-40, they're 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the final play-in tournament spot.

Even the franchise's most ardent supporters have lost faith at this point. Getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round last year was a harsh reality check, and things have only gotten worse since then.

The Suns have seven regular-season games remaining. Missing one week of action means Durant will be sidelined for the next three contests at the very least. It's becoming a very real possibility that the Suns won't even make the play-in tournament.