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Suns owner Ishbia criticized the Durant trade that year, calling it a waste of money. Durant struggled in the community and was dissatisfied with being made a scapegoat for failure. Firing took place from a distance between the two sides.
Rockets star Kevin Durant and Suns owner Matt Ishbia have been feuding on the internet recently. Ishbia said in an exclusive interview that the acquisition of Durant through a trade in 2023 failed to bring success. Durant directly disputed this on social media, believing that Ishbia did not blame himself for anything. “He made it sound like I was under arrest for drunk driving.”
In an exclusive interview with “CNBC Sports”, Ixubiya mentioned that when he came to Durant, he only used money to solve the problem without establishing a real team culture. This was also a valuable lesson he learned when he became a team owner for the first time.
“When I bought this team, the team was about the 8th or 9th seed. We had some good young players, and I thought, ‘Can we get to the top?’ Basically they told me, ‘As the owner, stay away from it,’ so I said, ‘We’ll pay the luxury tax and try our best to win championships,’ and we did.” Ishbia said the biggest takeaway from this was that it had nothing to do with Durant, but that it should be clear about the team’s position, perseverance, and belief in the goal and path. “I didn’t do this in the beginning, but threw the money away blindly.”
Durant averaged 26.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in his last season with the Suns. However, the Suns won only one playoff series in the two and a half seasons he spent there. Ixbia clearly stated that Durant and his “viewpoints do not match”. In 2025, the Suns also traded Durant to the Rockets. Durant also signed a two-year maximum salary contract worth US$90 million with the Rockets last year.
Ixubia’s speech left Durant deeply dissatisfied. He said that even though he was 36 years old and in his prime, he was still being criticized and even called a criminal. Ixubia responded that he did not blame Durant for the Suns’ failure, but that he was now very happy with the culture the Suns had established. “We have the right members and the right direction, and we are full of expectations for this season. I wish Houston the best of luck this season.”
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He said that after taking over the Suns, he wanted to rely heavily on reinforcements to win the championship, but the trade to find Durant in 2023 still failed. He said it taught him that team culture is more important than just throwing money around.
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Durant reacted directly on social media, believing that it was unfair for Ishbia to blame himself for the team’s failure, and even described him as a criminal who made mistakes, so he expressed his strong dissatisfaction.
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The Suns won only one playoff series during Durant’s tenure, and were then traded to the Rockets. Ixbia said that the team now has the right members and the right direction and is full of expectations for the new season.
