Kevin Durant has made his return to Phoenix with the Houston Rockets. This marks his first time in the Valley since being traded last June. The Phoenix Suns are hosting the Rockets in a nationally televised primetime showdown.
Durant Addresses Trade and Time with Suns
Durant has spoken about the trade, saying he felt “booted out of the building and scapegoated.” He added that it hurt him “because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general.” According to Durant, “I’m pretty much over it.” He admitted that at the time, it was tough to take.
When asked about having any special feelings coming back to the arena, Durant said, “There’s not much sentimental value between me and this place.” He acknowledged that it’s a great place to live and he loved living there, but he was only there for a short amount of time.
Reflecting on His Phoenix Tenure
Durant doesn’t feel he left a significant mark during his time with the Suns. “I wasn’t here long enough to really feel like I left a mark here. And that’s unfortunate because I want to leave marks everywhere I go. But it is what it is, you move on and appreciate the time spent.” He said that he didn’t take many lessons from his time with the Suns, given everything he had seen and done prior to arriving.
Phoenix won one playoff series the year Durant arrived midseason. Their regular season record when Durant played was 85-60.
Anticipating the Crowd’s Reaction
The crowd reaction to Durant on Tuesday will be interesting. Durant acknowledged he always felt the love from Suns fans when playing for the franchise and was always complimentary in the past.
He and Bradley Beal are considered 1A and 1B for most fans when pointing the finger at why the last few years went so poorly.