Kevin Durant Says He Was 'Kicked Out of' Suns and 'Scapegoated,' 'I Didn't Want' Trade

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant took extra pleasure in making the game-winning shot in Monday's 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns because of how he felt his former club blamed him for their struggles last season.

Speaking to reporters after the game (starts at 4:38 mark), Durant explained he felt "scapegoated" and was "kicked out of" the Suns organization even though "I didn't want" to be traded.

Durant did state that he has "nothing but love" for Suns players, but he wanted to beat the team to show the organization "that I still got some juice in the tank." He hit the go-ahead three with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift Houston to a victory.

The 2024-25 Suns became the first team in NBA history to spend at least $400 million on payroll between player salaries and tax payments. The historic roster, led by Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, never gelled in the way the organization expected.

Phoenix limped its way to a 36-46 record and missing the play-in tournament as the 11th-best team in the Western Conference.

As the Suns were looking for ways out of their difficult situation last season, one of them was to shop Durant around prior to the trade deadline. The future Hall of Famer said in September that he became "a little upset" about those rumors because he didn't hear about it from anyone in the organization.

The Suns and Golden State Warriors had talks about a trade for Durant, but he admitted to blocking that potential deal.

Durant wound up getting traded from Phoenix to Houston in July. The 37-year-old has been a crucial addition for the Rockets, leading them in scoring with 25.7 points per game in 31 starts.

The Rockets (22-11) have won five of their last six games and are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth in the Western Conference.