Kevin Durant, Suns Reportedly to Work on Trade After Mike Budenholzer's Firing

An offseason of change is coming in Phoenix.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer is already out, fired on Monday. Kevin Durant is expected to depart as well.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "Phoenix is expected to engage in trade conversations involving Durant and will have discussions on the future of Bradley Beal, according to sources. Multiple teams will seriously pursue Durant, who finished another stellar season, and the franchise is expected to work with Durant and his business partner and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman on the next landing spot for the future Hall of Famer."

Durant's seemingly impending departure isn't necessarily a new development—he reportedly was almost traded in February as the Suns sought to shake up the roster, and reports since have indicated that his time in Phoenix is ending.

There's no doubt the Suns need to shake things up after a miserable 36-46 season, and the core group of Devin Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal simply hasn't led to winning basketball. Changes are needed.

Booker is untouchable, so he won't be traded. The Suns have made that clear enough.

"Never happen," team governor Mat Ishbia told ESPN's Tim MacMahon in March when asked about the possibility of trading Booker. "It's silly. So here's what I'll tell you: I have Devin Booker in the prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player."

Booker, meanwhile, has expressed a desire to finish his career with the Suns.

"I mean, it's a rare breed," he told MacMahon regarding players who only suit up for one franchise in their career. "I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly. And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here. That's the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done and I'm going to do it."

Beal, meanwhile, is essentially un-tradable.

For one, he has a no-trade clause, meaning he can veto any deal and essentially control his next destination. That severely limits Phoenix's options and leverage in trade talks. But he's also set to earn $53.6 million next season and has a $57.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season that he'll assuredly exercise, a massive amount of money to pay a player who has averaged 17.6 points per game during his time in Phoenix, appearing in just 106 games across two seasons for the franchise. That's not exactly a contract that teams are clamoring to add.

So if the Suns are going to shake things up, it will likely be Durant who goes, and there will be a vibrant market for his services. In 62 games this season he averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 43 percent from three. He remains one of the most potent offensive players in the sport, but he'll be bringing that impact to a new franchise in next season.