<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-rumors-nets-rejected-celtics-jaylen-brown-kevin-durant-trade-proposal-in-2022');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Nets rejected Celtics’ Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant trade proposal in 2022');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jaylen-Brown-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Nets rejected Celtics’ Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant trade proposal in 2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T08:52:28-07:00">April 3rd, 8:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T09:01:52-07:00">April 3rd, 9:01am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have emerged as one of the top pairings in Boston Celtics history. However, the championship-winning duo would not have had the opportunity if not for a Brooklyn Nets decision.</p><p>After Kevin Durant requested a trade during the 2022 offseason, the Nets <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1907790813548941407" rel="noopener">rejected a Celtics offer</a> of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>Boston was coming off a finals loss to the Golden State Warriors and seemed convinced the Brooklyn superstar could put them over the top. Meanwhile, Durant was seeking a change of scenery after James Harden forced a trade and the Celtics swept the Nets in the first round of the playoffs.</p><h2>Evaluating the Nets’ decision to pass on Jaylen Brown trade offer for Kevin Durant</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jaylen-Brown-Kevin-Durant-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With the Nets holding out for a godfather offer, Durant rescinded his trade request and began the 2022-23 season in Brooklyn. The team had success early on, posting an 18-2 stretch midway through the year.</p><p>However, an MCL sprain sidelined Durant for an extended period. Kyrie Irving requested a trade at the deadline after the Nets refused to offer him a fully guaranteed max contract extension. Brooklyn dealt the All-Star guard to the Dallas Mavericks, after which Durant re-initiated his trade request.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-traded-by-brooklyn-to-suns">Nets traded Durant to the Phoenix Suns</a> for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-finalize-trade-haul-mikal-bridges-knicks-blockbuster-deal">flipping Bridges this summer</a>, Brooklyn grew its Durant return to Johnson, Ziaire Williams, nine first-round picks (one of which was used to select Noah Clowney in 2023), two first-round pick swaps and four second-round picks.</p><p>Given the historic pick volume, it’s difficult to say Brooklyn made a poor decision. Brown and White would have presented elite win-now pieces. However, the Nets were not positioned to contend after the 2022 deadline, with Ben Simmons making over $40 million annually for the following two seasons.</p><p>It’s also fair to question whether Brown would have signed an extension with Brooklyn. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/nets-news-kyrie-irving-opens-up-jaylen-brown-support-during-8-game-suspension">Celtics star notably called out Nets owner Joe Tsai</a> for comments he made after suspending Kyrie Irving for posting a link to an antisemitic film at the start of the 2022-23 season.</p><p>“[Tsai’s] response was alarming to me,” Brown said. “He didn’t say that the organization was working together to get Kyrie back on the floor. He said that [Kyrie] had more work to do. And our society has more work to do, including Joe Tsai. It’s 2022. It takes 10 minutes of time to see who these business owners and corporations are associated with, who they’re doing business with, who they’re affiliated with.”</p><p>It’s unclear whether the comment played a role in Brooklyn declining Boston’s offer, but it’s safe to say Brown and Tsai were not a match made in heaven.</p><p>The Celtics built a historically dominant team in the coming seasons, acquiring Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to pair with Tatum, Brown and White. Brown won the 2024 finals MVP, averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists during Boston’s 4-1 victory over the Mavericks.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Nets tore down their roster and committed to a rebuild last summer. Following offseason trades with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, Brooklyn leads the NBA with 13 tradable first-round picks and $50 million – $65 million in cap space this summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Nets rejected Celtics’ Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant trade proposal in 2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-knicks-spurs-among-5-teams-kevin-durant-has-mutual-trade-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Knicks, Spurs among 5 teams Kevin Durant has ‘mutual’ trade interest with');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Knicks-Spurs-among-5-teams-Kevin-Durant-has-mutual-trade-interest-with.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Knicks, Spurs among 5 teams Kevin Durant has ‘mutual’ trade interest with</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T14:25:44-07:00">April 2nd, 2:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T15:20:23-07:00">April 2nd, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trade speculation surrounding Kevin Durant has intensified as the Phoenix Suns face an uncertain offseason.</p><p>According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Durant and the Suns are <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1907527747821301888" rel="noopener">expected to work together</a> on a potential trade this summer, with mutual interest already existing between the former MVP and five NBA teams: the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets.</p><p>Charania discussed the situation during Wednesday’s broadcast of NBA Today, highlighting the growing belief that Phoenix’s current core of Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker has not produced the expected results.</p><p>“Matt Ishbia, the Suns owner, has shown already in his ownership that he’s aggressive; he’s willing to make moves,” Charania said. “He’s gonna make a million swings as Suns owner, but this iteration of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker just has not worked.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reporting for NBA Today with <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@malika_andrews</a> on the potential summer of change coming to the Phoenix Suns: <a href="https://t.co/73BB8aQdYP">pic.twitter.com/73BB8aQdYP</a></p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1907527747821301888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>He added that the Suns are expected to reshape their roster this offseason, and any changes are likely to begin with Durant.</p><p>“One thing to keep in mind, back at the NBA Trade Deadline in February, Minnesota, Miami, New York, San Antonio, and Houston were among the teams, I’m told, there was mutual interest between Durant and those teams,” Charania said. “I expect those teams and potentially others to be back in the fray this summer.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Durant’s injury, Suns’ playoff struggles fuel offseason uncertainty</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kevin-Durant-35-brings-the-ball-up-as-Minnesota-Timberwolves-guard-Anthony-Edwards-5.jpg"><figcaption>© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Durant is under contract for one more season, and his status is expected to be a key storyline entering the offseason. According to Charania, the postseason will also play a factor as early exits could increase pressure on front offices to pursue high-impact moves.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-why-love-is-keeping-devin-booker-in-phoenix-despite-tumultuous-season">Suns, currently 35-41, are clinging to playoff hopes</a> but have lost four straight games. They sit 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings (36-39) for the final Play-In Tournament spot.</p><p>Phoenix will face tough challenges in the coming days, including matchups against the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, before closing the season with a potentially decisive game against the Kings on April 13.</p><p>Adding to the uncertainty, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-out-one-week-ankle-injury">Durant recently suffered a left ankle sprain in a loss to the Rockets</a> and is expected to miss at least a week, according to reports. With the Suns’ postseason fate hanging in the balance, there’s growing speculation that Durant may have already played his final game with the franchise.</p><p>Despite being in his 17th NBA season, the 36-year-old remains one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons. He is currently averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field and 43% from three over 62 games.</p><h2><b>Multiple teams circling as Durant trade buzz grows</b></h2><p>Earlier this year, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-minnesota-plans-to-make-another-kevin-durant-trade-pursuit">Minnesota Timberwolves had made an aggressive push to land Durant</a> at the trade deadline but refused to part with franchise stars Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.</p><p>In addition to the five teams mentioned by Charania, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/how-nba-new-208-million-second-apron-impacts-trades-free-agency-siegels-scoop">Brett Siegel recently reported that the Atlanta Hawks</a> were a “surprising” team to express interest in Durant’s availability, further underscoring the league-wide attention surrounding his future.</p><p>Another team to monitor is the Dallas Mavericks, who recently traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. However, Dallas may be a less likely landing spot for Durant following Kyrie Irving’s recent ACL tear, which casts doubt on their short-term competitiveness and potential trade ambitions.</p><p>With the Suns likely heading into the offseason without a postseason berth, all signs point to Durant’s status becoming one of the most closely watched storylines of the summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Knicks, Spurs among 5 teams Kevin Durant has ‘mutual’ trade interest with

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/nba-rumors-will-hawks-revisit-kevin-durant-after-hard-trade-deadline-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Will Hawks revisit Kevin Durant after ‘hard’ trade deadline pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kevin-Durant-new-contract-and-return-still-possible-amid-trade-speculation.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Will Hawks revisit Kevin Durant after ‘hard’ trade deadline pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T16:41:23-07:00">April 1st, 4:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T16:41:23-07:00">April 1st, 4:41pm</time><address><a>Randall Barnes</a>Randall Barnes is a Fall 2019 Graduate of Fort Valley State University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Fort Valley, Georgia, where he majored in Media Studies. He is the Founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with the mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life via traditional, digital and social media outlets to amplify our voice. He is also the host of HBCU Pulse Radio, which can be heard on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU Fridays at 5 p.m. EST and wherever you get your podcasts.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have been an interesting team this season, operating as a fringe playoff team that has performed well against the best teams in the league even after the injury to Jalen Johnson. Trae Young has continued his streak as one of the best point guards in the league, Dyson Daniels has emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and the 2024 NBA Draft’s Number 1 draft pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-reason-behind-third-quarter-success">Zaccharie Risacher is finding his groove in the Atlanta offense</a> and showing amazing glimpses of his potential.</p><p>The Hawks, with their young core, certainly could emerge as a serious contender in a couple of seasons. But Atlanta looked to vault themselves into contenders this season with a huge trade to acquire Kevin Durant. Per ClutchPoints Senior NBA Insider Brett Siegel, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/how-nba-new-208-million-second-apron-impacts-trades-free-agency-siegels-scoop">Hawks made a call to Phoenix about acquiring</a> the two-time champion.</p><p>“One surprise team that pursued Durant hard at the trade deadline with other teams making calls to Phoenix was the Atlanta Hawks, sources said. The Hawks, who were also in trade discussions with the New Orleans Pelicans on a deal centered around Brandon Ingram before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, have been searching for another star to play alongside Trae Young,” Siegel said in his report.</p><p>He added, “Could the Hawks take a massive gamble on Durant in the final year of his contract to try and figure things out quickly around Young? With Capela becoming a free agent and likely departing, along with other players on expiring contracts, it’s unlikely that Atlanta has the assets and money to make a trade for Durant.”</p><p>Kevin Durant to the Hawks would’ve been an interesting trade that would’ve certainly fortified the Hawks as one of the top six teams in the East. Durant’s scoring ability and Young’s ability as a playmaker would certainly have been a sight to see and Atlanta’s ceiling would’ve at least been the second round of the playoffs.</p><p>But with so many tradeable contracts expiring, Atlanta will have to go back to the drawing board in the offseason to raise the floor of the team. But, the Hawks season isn’t over, and they have a chance to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/standings" rel="noopener">leap out of</a> the play-in tournament if the Milwaukee Bucks continue to struggle as the regular season nears it’s conclusion.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Will Hawks revisit Kevin Durant after ‘hard’ trade deadline pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-makes-peak-declaration-aimed-whiners-complaining-about-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Kevin Durant makes ‘peak’ declaration aimed at whiners complaining about NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Suns-news-Kevin-Durant-makes-peak-declaration-aimed-at-whiners-complaining-about-NBA.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Kevin Durant makes ‘peak’ declaration aimed at whiners complaining about NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T11:21:40-07:00">April 1st, 11:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T11:21:40-07:00">April 1st, 11:21am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If it weren’t for the Dallas Mavericks, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-phoenix-sets-embarrassing-nba-record-blowout-loss-rockets">Phoenix Suns would be</a> far and away the biggest disaster of this 2024-25 NBA season, in danger of missing the playoffs despite having the most expensive roster in the league. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers/kevin-durant-wears-new-nike-kd-18-the-valley">Kevin Durant has continued</a> to put up elite statistics, but his fit with costars Bradley Beal and Devin Booker has left a lot to be desired, to put it lightly.</p><p>Durant has never been one to keep his opinions about the sport to himself, and recently, the superstar weighed in on the ongoing debate regarding the state of the NBA today and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6019886/2025/04/01/nba-media-negativity-charles-barkley-shaq/" rel="noopener">how it compares</a> to previous generations.</p><p>“I think we’re at the peak of basketball, in my opinion,” said Durant, per David Aldridge of The Athletic. “I feel like the game is always going to evolve into something different. There’s going to be players that change the mindset of how to win a basketball game. Now, you see, I think the bigs are starting to come back around, where the most dominant bigs are the guys that you want to run an offense through and play off of. I just think the game is always evolving, and if you complain about it too much then you’re not going to see the beauty of what’s going on.”</p><p>Durant also spoke on the parity that exists in the current NBA landscape.</p><p>“You see it through, what, the last six champions have been different. There’s going to be complaints across the board, but I think the game’s in a good place,” said Durant.</p><h2><b>An interesting spot for the NBA</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Durant-complains.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Durant is correct that the NBA is as skilled as it’s ever been, with seven footers routinely launching 30-foot three pointers and mind-bending finishes at the rim becoming an everyday occurrence.</p><p>However, many fans have been vocal about their disdain for the game’s current reliance on the three-point shot, even if it’s proven to be the most effective way to win basketball games.</p><p>In any case, Durant and the Suns have bigger fish to fry at the current moment. The Suns will next take the court on Tuesday evening vs the Milwaukee Bucks, with Durant out of the lineup due to injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Kevin Durant makes ‘peak’ declaration aimed at whiners complaining about NBA

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-rumors-kevin-durant-new-contract-return-possible-amid-trade-speculation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns rumors: Kevin Durant new contract and return still possible amid trade speculation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kevin-Durant-new-contract-and-return-still-possible-amid-trade-speculation.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns rumors: Kevin Durant new contract and return still possible amid trade speculation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T11:15:36-07:00">April 1st, 11:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T11:15:36-07:00">April 1st, 11:15am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before the 2024-25 season began, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-prepared-to-wait-in-order-to-sign-123-8-million-contract">Kevin Durant didn’t sign a contract extension with the Phoenix Suns</a>. This worried some, as they thought he was done with the team.</p><p>Although Durant wanted a longer-term deal, the team didn’t make this season any easier. They offered him a deal that would’ve sent him back to the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>As a result, the Suns All-Star denied the request, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. Despite Durant still being the leading scorer, he might’ve made up his mind on whether he wants to stay in Phoenix or not.</p><p>Logan Murdock of The Ringer detailed that Durant <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2025/04/01/nba/phoenix-suns-devin-booker-kevin-durant-payroll-standings" rel="noopener">would be open</a> for a return. Not to mention, Devin Booker elaborated more on a potential reunion with the leading scorer.</p><p>“Hell yeah, I want to play alongside him,” Booker says. “The team’s been in a tough situation. So, that’s the NBA today. I think K understands the business too, that when things aren’t going the right way, people are going to explore options.</p><p>“I don’t know how serious it was, but we moved past it. You see his morale, you see how he feels about the city.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Durant could re-sign with the Suns</b></h2><p>Even though Durant seems disgruntled with the team, the possibility of re-signing could open up other windows. After all, the team has been excellent with the superstar on the floor.</p><p>However, when Bradley Beal is thrown into the mix, it’s <a href="https://arizonasports.com/nba/phoenix-suns/kevin-garnett/3573858/" rel="noopener">turned the offense into a clutter</a>. Not that Beal is a bad player by any means. Rather, he doesn’t fit with the Suns offensive system.</p><p>It didn’t fit with Frank Vogel, and it isn’t fitting with Mike Budenholzer. Safe to say though, that Durant’s view of the city is one of the better ones he’s had.</p><p>Playing alongside Booker is enough reason to stay. The two have been dynamic when together on the floor. However, Booker has deferred a bit too much on his fellow superstar.</p><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-reaction-30000-point-milestone">Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history</a>, it’s come at the expense of Booker’s aggressiveness. He hasn’t been as willing to attack mismatches or take over a game.</p><p>Booker has taken over a game without Durant. Still, finding that balance with Durant could be key. Either way, Durant might be back in Phoenix, to people’s surprise.</p><p>At the end of the day, Durant would have unfinished business if he were to re-sign. Championship aspirations were the goal, and advancing those could be of interest to him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns rumors: Kevin Durant new contract and return still possible amid trade speculation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/kevin-durant-wears-new-nike-kd-18-the-valley');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevin Durant wears new Nike KD 18 ‘The Valley’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kevin-Durant-wears-new-Nike-KD-18-The-Valley.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant wears new Nike KD 18 ‘The Valley’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T18:54:04-07:00">March 31st, 6:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T18:54:30-07:00">March 31st, 6:54pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just days after debuting yet another fresh colorway of his Nike KD 18, Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant returned to the floor in another wild iteration of his newest signature sneaker. Durant and the Suns are fighting for playoff position in the Western Conference, but that’s never stopped the Slim Reaper from looking good while making his scoring look effortless. Fans are already calling for this PE (player exclusive) colorway to release to the public.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>The Nike KD 18 first launched in Febraury 2025 as part of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nike-lebron-22-black-label-coming-soon">Nike’s “Black Label”</a> pack for athletes like LeBron James, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and more during All-Star Weekend. The eighteenth signature model for Durant is slated to see a number of additional releases, including the “Lucid Lime” debut colorway.</p><p>In recent games, Durant has been breaking out unreleased exclusives and after just rocking an “El Valle” pair to match the Suns’ City Edition uniforms, he broke out this “The Valley” colorway to continue his run of new PEs.</p><h2>Nike KD 18 “The Valley”</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant reps “The Valley” with a new Nike KD 18 colorway 🌵</p><p>📷 <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a> <a href="https://t.co/bnfXed2OBV">pic.twitter.com/bnfXed2OBV</a></p><p>— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) <a href="https://twitter.com/SoleRetriever/status/1906510203694043183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="ja">NIKE KD 18 “The Valley”</p><p>フェニックスの太陽とそれに照らされたサボテンのイメージを落としこんだカラー☀️🌵<br>グッドデザインです、が……とにかくも、足首の状態が軽傷でありますように。 <a href="https://t.co/TyTCD7CU1T">https://t.co/TyTCD7CU1T</a> <a href="https://t.co/qXtoW0nN0V">pic.twitter.com/qXtoW0nN0V</a></p><p>— CARTER_AF1 (@carter_AF1) <a href="https://twitter.com/carter_AF1/status/1906693885482684552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>This <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/closer-look-at-kevin-durants-new-nike-kd-18">Nike KD 18</a> appears to match the color scheme of the Suns’ City Edition “The Valley” uniforms with a predominantly purple upper accented by black paneling and Native patterning throughout the toebox. The shoe features a second panel with “claws” or waves similar to the <a href="https://stockx.com/nike-air-terra-humara-sp-alchemy-pink-diffused-blue">Nike Air Terra Humara</a>, where the KD 18 draws some inspiration from. The panels alternate green on the lateral side and orange on the medial side to match the secondary colors of the purple uniform.</p></figure><p>There’s no news on whether these will release to the public or not, but we can expect Kevin Durant to continue teasing PE sneakers in hopes that they’ll eventually make their way onto the release calendar. For now, fans can look forward to the “Lucid Lime” Nike KD 18 reportedly dropping on April 18, 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant wears new Nike KD 18 ‘The Valley’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-out-one-week-ankle-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Kevin Durant out at least one week with ankle injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kevin-Durant-out-indefinitely-with-ankle-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Kevin Durant out at least one week with ankle injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T12:00:40-07:00">March 31st, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T12:03:42-07:00">March 31st, 12:03pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed a <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1906782849446908351" rel="noopener">left ankle sprain</a> and he will be sidelined for at least one week with only seven games left in the regular season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-leaves-game-rockets-ankle-injury">Durant suffered this ankle injury</a> in Sunday night’s 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets. While driving to the rim about halfway through the third quarter against the Rockets, Durant stepped on Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot and rolled his ankle.</p><p>Upon going to the ground and immediately grabbing his lower left leg in obvious pain, Durant was helped off the court and went straight to the Suns’ locker room since he was unable to put much weight on his leg. He was ruled out upon leaving the game since he wasn’t able to take his free throws.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here’s a closer look at the ankle injury Kevin Durant just suffered:</p><p>Hope KD’s okay 🙏<a href="https://t.co/58Y4rzW6sj">pic.twitter.com/58Y4rzW6sj</a> <a href="https://t.co/cNbbrTe5jY">https://t.co/cNbbrTe5jY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1906537183999336531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After the game, Suns head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mike-budenholzer-kevin-durant-injury-update-loss-rockets">Mike Budenholzer was questioned about Durant’s health.</a> Budenholzer gave little information in the immediate aftermath of the game other than that his star was to undergo an MRI on Monday and would not travel with the team to begin their upcoming three-game road trip. Phoenix is scheduled to play on Tuesday night on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><p>This injury to Durant is yet another slap in the face to what has been a horrific season for the Suns.</p><p>Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Durant have spent limited time on the court together because of injuries, and a sense of dysfunction has clouded the Suns throughout the 2024-25 season. Phoenix is currently 35-40 after Sunday’s 39-point loss at home to Houston and is 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference.</p><p>The Suns and Kings will meet in the final game of the regular season on April 13.</p><p>In 62 games this season, Durant has averaged 26.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from three-point range. Should he miss the remainder of the regular season, Durant will be ineligible for any end-of-season awards or All-NBA honors, as he will need to play in at least 65 games to qualify.</p><p>Without Durant on the floor this season, the Suns have gone 2-11.</p><p>Whether or not this was Durant’s final game in a Suns uniform is the biggest question around the NBA ahead of the offseason. Although the 36-year-old star still has one more year left on his contract with Phoenix, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/how-nba-new-208-million-second-apron-impacts-trades-free-agency-siegels-scoop">Durant will be the center of offseason trade talks</a> around the league.</p><p>Before the trade deadline in February, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/nba-rumors-everybody-knows-jimmy-butler-wants-suns-trade">Suns attempted to acquire Jimmy Butler</a> from the Miami Heat in a trade that would’ve paired him with Durant and Booker.</p><p>Unfortunately for Phoenix, these attempts to trade for Butler created fractures and rifts within the organization, specifically with Beal and Durant, since the Suns held extensive trade conversations with teams centered on the two stars.</p><p>The 15-time All-Star was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/kevin-durant-jimmy-butler-nba-trade-deadline-intel-siegel-scoop">on the verge of being dealt back to the Golden State Warriors</a>, where he spent three seasons and won two championships, before the trade deadline. If it weren’t for him stepping in at the last minute and telling the Suns’ front office that he didn’t want to be traded, this three-team deal involving the Heat, Warriors, and Suns would have likely been completed.</p><p>Now, Durant’s future in Phoenix is uncertain. Between the organization’s struggles over the last few seasons and this injury, what happens with Durant will be the main storyline the Suns carry into the offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Kevin Durant out at least one week with ankle injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mike-budenholzer-kevin-durant-injury-update-loss-rockets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Mike Budenholzer provides Kevin Durant injury update after loss to Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SUNS-NEWS-MIKE-BUDENHOLZER-PROVIDES-KEVIN-DURANT-INJURY-UPDATE-AFTER-LOSS-TO-ROCKETS.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Mike Budenholzer provides Kevin Durant injury update after loss to Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T06:54:47-07:00">March 31st, 6:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T06:54:47-07:00">March 31st, 6:54am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A Phoenix Suns season that was already somewhat of a nightmare went from bad to worse on Sunday night during a 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets. During the third quarter, star forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/suns-news-kevin-durant-leaves-game-rockets-ankle-injury">Kevin Durant drove to his left before collapsing to the ground</a> and grabbing his lower left leg.</p><p>Durant turned his ankle badly, immediately left the game and did not return. Now, his <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1906556477193531778" rel="noopener">status is a little bit clearer</a>. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said that Durant will undergo an MRI on Monday and will miss the Suns’ upcoming road trip, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>“Kevin Durant will undergo an MRI on Monday on his left ankle and stay behind in Phoenix when the Suns leave town for a three-game trip that begins in Milwaukee, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer says,” Stein reported on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Durant’s injury certainly throws a wrench into the Suns’ slim hopes for a playoff push. Phoenix is currently outside of the play-in picture, sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference at 35-40. However, Budenholzer and company are just 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the final spot in the play-in tournament, so they will feel like they have a chance to crack the top 10.</p><p>That task obviously gets much tougher if Durant is sidelined. On the court, the future Hall-of-Famer has been a rock for a Phoenix squad that has been very unsteady outside of him this season. For the year, he is averaging 26.6 points and six rebounds per game. Durant will now miss an upcoming road trip that includes very challenging games away from home against the Bucks, Celtics and Knicks.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-could-spurs-pull-off-kevin-durant-trade-heist-with-suns">impending trade rumors surrounding Durant</a> make this injury even more complicated for the Suns and their fans. He was nearly sent back to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline, but a potential trade this summer is still definitely on the table. While the severity of this injury is not yet known, Sunday could have marked the last time Durant plays for the Suns if he is forced to miss the rest of the season.</p><p>With or without Durant, the Suns must figure out how to lock in and get some better results out of their defense. Phoenix is currently in the bottom five in the league in defensive rating and that end of the court has been the primary culprit in its current three-game losing streak.</p><p>Without Durant, the margin for error defensively gets even smaller, so fixing that will be the first priority for Budenholzer and his staff.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Mike Budenholzer provides Kevin Durant injury update after loss to Rockets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-stephen-a-smith-weighs-in-dillon-brooks-ejection-kevin-durant-altercation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Dillon Brooks’ ejection for Kevin Durant altercation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Rockets-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-weighs-in-on-Dillon-Brooks-ejection-for-Kevin-Durant-altercation.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Dillon Brooks’ ejection for Kevin Durant altercation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T20:56:44-07:00">March 30th, 8:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T21:07:12-07:00">March 30th, 9:07pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Stephen A. Smith did not approve of the referees’ decision to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/rockets-news-dillon-brooks-ejected-skirmish-kevin-durant">eject Dillon Brooks from the Houston Rockets game</a> after a play involving Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.</p><p>With less than five minutes left in the second quarter with the Rockets up 55-38, Brooks committed a hard foul on Durant. The officials called a technical foul on the Houston wing, causing him to curse at the crew. This ended up in him getting another technical foul, resulting in an ejection.</p><p>Smith <a href="https://x.com/stephenasmith/status/1906527979368321287" rel="noopener">reacted to the moment</a> on social media, watching the game in real time. He believes that Brooks did not deserve the ejection, viewing the play to be just physical and that players should express themselves in that situation.</p><p>“This is driving me crazy. I’m watching the @HoustonRockets vs @Suns game. Dillon Brooks did not deserve to get thrown out of this game. A physical play vs @KDTrey5 for sure, cussing at the referee initial for the foul call. But to eject the man over that? Come on. Let the players play!” Smith said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DILLON BROOKS EJECTED 😳</p><p>Brooks was ejected after getting physical with Kevin Durant and Nick Richards 👀</p><p>Brooks directed some foul language towards the refs afterwards.<a href="https://t.co/ItYNeYMPCC">pic.twitter.com/ItYNeYMPCC</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1906526433108996469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How Dillon Brooks’ Rockets played against Suns</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mar-27-2025-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-USA-Houston-Rockets-forward-Dillon-Brooks-9-goes-to-the-basket-against-Utah-Jazz-forward-Kyle-Filipowski-22-during-the-second-half-at-Delta-Center.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite Dillon Brooks’ ejection, the Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/rockets-vs-suns-prediction-odds-pick-spread-3-30-2025">Rockets made easy work of Kevin Durant’s Suns</a> squad with a 148-109 blowout win on Sunday night.</p><p>The Rockets exploded with 46 points in the second quarter to take a 78-49 lead at halftime and never looked back. They shot 57% from the field, including a scorching 58% from beyond the arc. Ball movement was heavy as well, as Houston created 37 assists as a team.</p><p>Eight players scored in double-digits for the Rockets. Jalen Green dominated with 33 points on 9-of-17 shooting overall, including 4-of-5 from downtown. Alperen Sengun came next with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Fred VanVleet and Cam Whitmore scored 13 points each.</p><p>Houston improved to a 49-26 record, maintaining their place at the second spot of the Western Conference standings. They are 13.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, out of reach for the top spot.</p><p>Following Sunday’s win over the Suns, the Rockets will prepare for their next road matchup. They face the Los Angeles Lakers on March 31 at 10 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Dillon Brooks’ ejection for Kevin Durant altercation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-leaves-game-rockets-ankle-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Kevin Durant leaves game vs. Rockets with apparent ankle injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kevin-Durant-leaves-game-vs.-Rockets-with-apparent-ankle-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Kevin Durant leaves game vs. Rockets with apparent ankle injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T19:50:13-07:00">March 30th, 7:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T20:13:50-07:00">March 30th, 8:13pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns season continues to get worse. During Sunday’s game against the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant sustained a left ankle sprain. He landed awkwardly on his left leg, then <a href="https://x.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1906535926836158528?s=46&amp;t=vnLDgTn4yNZudl1UzUUjJA" rel="noopener">went down</a> in grimacing pain, holding that lower left ankle.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here’s a closer look at the ankle injury Kevin Durant just suffered:</p><p>Hope KD’s okay 🙏<a href="https://t.co/58Y4rzW6sj">pic.twitter.com/58Y4rzW6sj</a> <a href="https://t.co/cNbbrTe5jY">https://t.co/cNbbrTe5jY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1906537183999336531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After getting up, he immediately limped to the bench, before heading to the locker room. Funny enough, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-dillon-brooks-ejected-skirmish-kevin-durant">Durant had a skirmish with Rockets forward Dillon Brooks</a> in the second quarter.</p><p>Before exiting, he had 11 points, and seven rebounds while shooting 5-11 from the field.</p><p>Including Sunday, an interesting note is that Durant played 62 games on the season. He would need three more to be eligible for any All-NBA awards.</p><p>Now, those might be out of the equation. That, combined with the Suns likely missing the play-in might set up the beginning of the end for them.</p><p>Phoenix takes on the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks on the road in its next three games. Without Durant, the Suns haven’t shown to be an elite team, compared to being with him.</p><p>On the season, Durant is close to averaging 27 points. For his 16th season in the league, it is beyond impressive. He’s been the main catalyst for the Suns offense the entire season.</p><p>Even with Devin Booker playing alongside him, Durant has been the de facto option when the team needs a bucket.</p><h2><b>Where will the Suns season go with Kevin Durant injured?</b></h2><p>The remaining few games could have the Suns without Durant. Considering he wasn’t able to put much weight on that left ankle, which is not a promising sign.</p><p>The next three teams they play are at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, Durant wanting to pursue another All-NBA campaign would be tough.</p><p>If that were to happen, he would <a href="https://x.com/YoungNBA/status/1906539869977067957" rel="noopener">need to come back 10 days</a> from Sunday’s game and play the remaining three games. By that point, the Suns’ season could already be decided.</p><p>Durant’s injury might be a microcosm of the Suns 2024-25 season. Unfortunate events happening at the most unfortunate of times.</p><p>Although the team has had a flurry of issues, Durant hasn’t been one. He’s been one of the most important, if not the most important pieces to Phoenix.</p><p>The shot-making, clutch ability, and proverbial mismatch that is Durant is otherworldly. Again, he could try a comeback for the sake of any playoff hopes.</p><p>However, if those are eliminated before he gets back, the only thing to play for would be an All-NBA team. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-suns-to-work-on-potential-trade-after-2024-25-nba-season">Suns tried to trade Durant</a> during the trade deadline, this move could be the ultimate gut punch to the franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Kevin Durant leaves game vs. Rockets with apparent ankle injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-dillon-brooks-ejected-skirmish-kevin-durant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Dillon Brooks ejected after skirmish with Kevin Durant');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dillon-Brooks-ejected-after-skirmish-with-Kevin-Durant.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Dillon Brooks ejected after skirmish with Kevin Durant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T19:14:44-07:00">March 30th, 7:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T19:27:50-07:00">March 30th, 7:27pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Entering Sunday’s game, an old battle between Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant was ready. However, after only 11 minutes, Brooks was assessed two technical fouls and <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1906526433108996469" rel="noopener">immediately ejected</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DILLON BROOKS EJECTED 😳</p><p>Brooks was ejected after getting physical with Kevin Durant and Nick Richards 👀</p><p>Brooks directed some foul language towards the refs afterwards.<a href="https://t.co/ItYNeYMPCC">pic.twitter.com/ItYNeYMPCC</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1906526433108996469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The skirmish came after Brooks fouled Durant going to the basket. They were tied up, and the Rockets forward didn’t let go. Durant tried to get off, which resulted in Suns center Nick Richards stepping in.</p><p>Following that, Brooks showed Richards, which earned him another technical foul. After that, he was immediately ejected before giving the officiating crew an earful.</p><p>Funny enough, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-dillon-brooks-fined-25000-for-f-bomb-after-win-vs-celtics">Brooks isn’t a stranger to fines</a> or ejections. Against the Boston Celtics, he was slapped with a $25,000 fine after saying dropping an F-bomb. Whether or not this ends in a fine remains to be seen.</p><p>Regardless, he finished with eight points, one rebound, and an assist in 11 minutes of play.</p><p>For the two forwards, they aren’t afraid to mince words with other opponents. Brooks has been in altercations with just about anyone he can.</p><p>Some include Draymond Green, Anthony Edwards, and even Durant himself. However, that is the Rockets forward’s identity ever since his playing days at Oregon.</p><h2><b>Rockets are without Dillon Brooks following Kevin Durant skirmish</b></h2><p>While the Rockets don’t have much to play for at this point of the season, the Suns do. Houston secured playoff positioning. Before the game, head coach Ime Udoka talked about games like Phoenix being important.</p><p>Beating the tough teams are crucial for any playoff success. Still, keeping trustworthy players under control is another important element.</p><p>While Brooks can be an irritant on both sides, he does have a temper. Before Sunday’s game, he had <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/nba/stats?category=misc&amp;sort=tech&amp;season=2024&amp;seasonType=reg&amp;sortOrder=desc" rel="noopener">13 technical fouls</a> heading into the game.</p><p>If he lands one more, then Brooks will be hit with an automatic one-game suspension. That is the last thing the Rockets need at this point.</p><p>They would want to load up and keep their stars fresh for the playoffs. After securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, they made serious progress from last season to now.</p><p>At the end of the day though, having cooler heads prevail could be a key. Brooks is a known irritant, but being able to control that could unlock something special in the team.</p><p>The defense is there, the feistiness is there, and the coaching is there. Now, it’s about putting all of it together for a deep playoff run. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-most-pleasant-surprise-early-in-2024-25-season">Brooks is integral part</a>, when he is on the court.</p><p>Having his temper cooled slightly could do wonders for himself and the team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Dillon Brooks ejected after skirmish with Kevin Durant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-ime-udoka-eye-opening-story-kevin-durant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ime Udoka shares eye-opening story about Suns’ Kevin Durant');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suns-news-Ime-Udoka-shares-eye-opening-story-about-Kevin-Durant.jpg"></figure><h1>Ime Udoka shares eye-opening story about Suns’ Kevin Durant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T18:02:02-07:00">March 30th, 6:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T18:10:00-07:00">March 30th, 6:10pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>All the stories about Kevin Durant are justified. The Phoenix Suns star has one of the best work ethics in the league, and Ime Udoka noticed it. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/nets-news-kevin-durant-reminisces-initial-failed-attempt-to-leave-brooklyn-before-2022-23-season">Durant wanted out of the Nets in the 2022-23 season</a>, before then, he was fully committed.</p><p>When the two were with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant’s work ethic surprised Udoka. Even for an All-NBA and former MVP, he does the same pregame warmup and lifting sessions, among other things.</p><p>Sunday marks the second time the two teams will square off this season. Before the game, Udoka spoke with reporters regarding Durant’s unmatched work ethic.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"His day-to-day approach is unlike anybody I've been around or seen."</p><p>Rockets coach Ime Udoka on Kevin Durant. Was an assistant in Brooklyn when Durant was there.</p><p>"With all the accolades he still has a chip, is grumpy as hell every other day, but he holds himself to a high… <a href="https://t.co/VnBeBoNesW">pic.twitter.com/VnBeBoNesW</a></p><p>— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1906507570749325811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It was even before that I had him with USA Basketball court a bit, and so his day-to-day approach is unlike anybody I’ve really ever seen,” Udoka said. “I think young guys have seen that with USA, and then the day-to-day with Brooklyn, obviously, as well. He goes about his business the same.</p><p>“Regardless, he’s a dude that, with all the accolades he has, still has a chip and is as grumpy, grumpy as hell every other day. But he holds himself to a high standard, and so nothing will change as far as that is approached until it’s done. And you know, I’ve been around him quite a bit and played against him, coached against him quite a bit as well. So, you know that about him.”</p><h2><b>Ime Udoka appreciates Suns’ Kevin Durant’s work ethic</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kevin-Durant_fccfb5.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The reason why so many players are great is their work ethic. Talent aside, they always find a way and want to be better. Even for an accomplished player like Durant, he seeks advice from his coaching staff.</p><p>Throughout the offseason, he’ll be in the gym running games or <a href="https://athlonsports.com/nba/everyones-saying-same-thing-about-kevin-durant-nba-offseason-workout" rel="noopener">doing individual workouts</a>. He is truly a player who solely wants to perfect his basketball craft.</p><p>Even in his 16th season, Durant is <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html" rel="noopener">averaging 26.8 points per game</a>. Also, he’s posting over 50% from the field, 40% from three, and over 80% from the free throw line.</p><p>Those would be elite numbers for someone in their prime. For his 16th season, those were what people could only dream of having. Now, Durant is living those out.</p><p>As the Suns will take on the Houston Rockets, they are falling behind the play-in standings. Every game at this point counts. Despite the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-suns-season-on-line-mavericks">Suns defeating the Dallas Mavericks</a> earlier in March, they will need to match their record to secure a spot.</p><p>With facing the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks consecutively, they have their work cut out for them. No matter what, Durant’s preparation for each game will remain the same.</p><p>Whether or not he goes off for a big performance remains to be seen.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ime Udoka shares eye-opening story about Suns’ Kevin Durant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-stepping-stone-collin-gillespie-career-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Suns’ Kevin Durant sees ‘stepping stone’ following Collin Gillespie career night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suns-news-How-Kevin-Durant-sees-stepping-stone-following-Collin-Gillespie-career-night.jpg"></figure><h1>How Suns’ Kevin Durant sees ‘stepping stone’ following Collin Gillespie career night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-29T06:25:13-07:00">March 29th, 6:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-29T06:28:18-07:00">March 29th, 6:28am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Since getting pivotal minutes in the Phoenix Suns rotation, both Kevin Durant and Collin Gillespie have grown closer. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-unsung-guard-kevin-durant-praise-following-win">Gillespie was the Suns’ unsung hero</a> in a 119-117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in March, he put on his hero cape once again on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>While the Suns suffered a 124-109 loss to the Timberwolves, the former Villanova guard had a standout performance. He posted a career-high 22 points to go along with 10 assists and five rebounds.</p><p>It was an all-around game for Gillespie, with his 22 points seeing him second on the team in scoring behind only Durant, who had 23 points. Following the game, Durant opened up to Duane Rankin of AZCentral regarding Gillespie’s <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1905833582666351044" rel="noopener">impact on the game</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Collin was great tonight. Wish we could've got a win for him. That would've been even better, but it's a good stepping stone. Build more confidence."</p><p>Kevin Durant on Collin Gillespie career night of 22 points (9-of-11 FGs, 4-of-5 on 3s), 10 assists and 5 rebounds in loss to… <a href="https://t.co/faRSo5jqBa">pic.twitter.com/faRSo5jqBa</a></p><p>— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1905833582666351044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I’m always happy to see guys come into the league and reach their career highs in a start, and get an opportunity to play their game,” Durant said.</p><p>“Collin was great tonight. Wish we could’ve got a win for him. That would’ve been even better, but it’s a good stepping stone. Build more confidence.”</p><p>As he’s <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/suns-collin-gillespie-quiet-in-first-career-start/" rel="noopener">stepped into a starting role</a>, the split between Gillespie and Tyus Jones has worked out quite well. Gillespie offers more size and versatility on the defensive side than Jones, which has been a big help for Phoenix.</p><p>Still, teams have singled out the Suns point guard on the offensive end, throwing traps at him and forcing the ball out of his hands.</p><p>Regardless of some of the defensive strategies against him, Gillespie has taken advantage of playing alongside Durant, as his and Devin Booker’s lethal scoring abilities have allowed the second-year guard to get open looks. Friday’s game was a screaming example of that, as Gillespie shot 9-11 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range. He took full advantage of the Timberwolves relaxed defense towards him.</p><p>Throughout the season, Durant has made it a point to give credit where credit is due. Back in February, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kevin-durant-special-shoutout-g-league-dogs">Durant gave love to the Suns G-Leaguers</a> after a tough 119-111 loss to the Houston Rockets. One guy who was part of that crowd was Gillespie, whose strong play on the court has continued to show the work he’s been putting in behind the scenes.</p><h2><b>Kevin Durant gives love to Collin Gillespie</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Collin-Gillespie_a54e74.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fast forward to March, and now Gillespie is starting in place of Jones. Again, he has brought a new dynamic to the table, exuding his youth and enthusiasm to his teammates.</p><p>Playing alongside Ryan Dunn in the starting lineup has allowed veterans like Durant and Booker to get some inspiration. For instance, Gillespie and Dunn have frequently been diving for loose balls and trying to make winning plays to fire up the rest of their squad.</p><p>That has had a chain reaction on the entire team. Even head coach Mike Budenholzer has seen it. After he made the intriguing decision to start Gillespie moving forward, he <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1905823076492923103" rel="noopener">made it clear there was a reason</a>. Part of that reason was seen by fans firsthand on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Suns coach Mike Budenholzer on Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie and Nick Richards after 124-109 loss to T-Wolves.</p><p>On Booker (Scoreless 1st half, 10 points in game 4-of-14 FGs, 0-of-6 from 3): (Jaden) McDaniels really, really basically never leaves him. Stays connected to him all… <a href="https://t.co/TlrGbFknog">pic.twitter.com/TlrGbFknog</a></p><p>— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1905823076492923103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Their shifts, their activity and Collin taking advantage of it,” Budenholzer said via Rankin. “And then Collin just taking it and finding driving lanes when they stay attached to Book and KD. His aggressiveness was great.”</p><p>That aggressiveness was necessary, as Booker finished with only 10 points on 4-14 shooting. Defenders were draped all over him, leaving Gillespie with space that he ended up taking full advantage of.</p><p>An interesting thing to note, though, is that Gillespie is <a href="https://valleyofthesuns.com/suns-still-have-time-make-crucial-decision-boost-playoff-hopes-gillespie" rel="noopener">on a two-way contract</a>. In a matter of games, the Suns will need to turn his two-way contract into a standard NBA contract.</p><p>If Phoenix makes the playoffs, then someone will have to be cut. Based on the way he’s been playing, Gillespie won’t be the one getting the ax.</p><p>In fact, he could be a mainstay within the team for quite some time. Finding elite two-way players is hard to come by, and it appears as though the Suns might’ve found a diamond in the rough with Gillespie.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Suns’ Kevin Durant sees ‘stepping stone’ following Collin Gillespie career night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-injury-kevin-durant-elbow');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards suffers injury from Kevin Durant elbow');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Timberwolves-Anthony-Edwards-suffers-injury-from-Kevin-Durant-elbow.jpg"></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards suffers injury from Kevin Durant elbow</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T18:07:51-07:00">March 28th, 6:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T18:25:24-07:00">March 28th, 6:25pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves were dealt a scare on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-key-success-race-nba-playoffs-berth">as they chase a playoff spot.</a></p><p>Superstar guard Anthony Edwards <a href="https://x.com/espnnba/status/1905785777822347634?t=vnLDgTn4yNZudl1UzUUjJA" rel="noopener">took an elbow</a> from Kevin Durant in transition and immediately went to the ground in pain. He had to be helped to the locker room:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ant was helped to the locker room after taking an elbow from KD in transition. <a href="https://t.co/rtjIkk9Zyf">pic.twitter.com/rtjIkk9Zyf</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1905785777822347634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Not a good sign for the Timberwolves. As you can see, Edwards was in serious discomfort. Minnesota is in eighth place at the moment and just a half-game out of the final playoff berth, which is occupied by the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-makes-healthy-guarantee">Edwards is having a career year</a>, averaging 27.3 ppg on 39.5% shooting from three-point land. The former first overall pick continues to prove why he’s one of the brightest young superstars in the Association, and he’s helping the Timberwolves push for that No. 6 spot in order to try and avoid the Play-In Tournament.</p><p>Before departing on Friday, Edwards had three points in nine minutes of action. While there’s yet to be a diagnosis, it didn’t look good by any means. Losing Ant for any period would derail Minnesota’s postseason aspirations. He is undoubtedly the franchise cornerstone and a crucial part of this team on both ends of the floor.</p><p>Minny has been hot as of late, winning seven of their last 10 outings. They own a 41-32 record. Chris Finch’s squad has a 57-45 lead at halftime and has a couple of difficult games coming up after this contest. The Timberwolves host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday before heading to the Mile High City for a matchup with the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>Stay tuned for any updates on Edwards’ status. While it doesn’t look like it’ll be a serious injury, it’s never a good thing to see your best player in that much pain lying on the floor. Hopefully, this ailment won’t cause him to miss a lot of time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards suffers injury from Kevin Durant elbow

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/closer-look-at-kevin-durants-new-nike-kd-18');   ga('set', 'title', 'Closer look at Kevin Durant’s new Nike KD 18');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Closer-look-at-Kevin-Durants-new-Nike-KD-18.jpg"></figure><h1>Closer look at Kevin Durant’s new Nike KD 18</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T15:17:24-07:00">March 28th, 3:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T15:17:41-07:00">March 28th, 3:17pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are in striking position in the Western Conference to contend for one of the final spots in the play-in tournament. Donning his newest Nike KD 18 sneakers as he puts the city of Phoenix and the franchise on his back, Kevin Durant is walking on rarified ground when it comes to his signature sneaker line. With one colorway already out and more on the way, we should see more of the Nike KD 18 if the Suns are able to make the NBA Playoffs.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>The Nike KD 18 first released to the public during 2025 All-Star Weekend in an exclusive “Black Label” colorway, part of the ASG theme Nike set forth for their athletes. Since then, we’ve seen Durant tease a number of exclusive KD 18 colorways on the court while fans await a wider release.</p><p>The next apparent release is slated for the “Liquid Lime” colorway, which was the first colorway seen in the initial leaks of the new silhouette. Most recently, Kevin Durant wore a Suns’ “El Valle” PE that had fans gushing over the new colorway and anticipating more to come.</p><h2>Nike KD 18</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A FIRST LOOK at <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a>‘s 18th signature sneaker with Nike 👏</p><p>Early thoughts on these? <a href="https://t.co/JaelxidbhH">pic.twitter.com/JaelxidbhH</a></p><p>— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/brkicks/status/1887267434874257492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The “Lucid Lime” colorway features hits of neon greens and yellows contrasted by a loud orange midsole and blue gradient finishes. From an initial look, the shoes take nods from the Nike Air Humara released in 1997 and featuring a similar construction along the lace stays. This pair is expected to be the next upcoming release with a reported drop date of April 18, 2025.</p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">IN-HAND LOOK: Nike KD 18 “Air Bakin” 🥓</p><p>🗓️ May 15th<br>💵 $150<br>📷 <a href="https://twitter.com/RicFlair79?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RicFlair79</a> <a href="https://t.co/4IhlJA3O56">pic.twitter.com/4IhlJA3O56</a></p><p>— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) <a href="https://twitter.com/SoleRetriever/status/1896608293382226217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The next reports colorway is titled “Air Bakin” and modeled after the controversial Nike Air Bakin designed by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nike-air-foamposite-carbon-fiber-rumored-for-holiday-2025">foamposite pioneer Eric Avar</a>. The colorway imitates the red suede streaks from the original model and adds hits of yellow throughout true to the shoe it takes after. These are reported to release May 15, 2025.</p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant debuts new ‘EYBL’ Nike KD 18 🔋 <a href="https://t.co/2syNwxwp68">pic.twitter.com/2syNwxwp68</a></p><p>— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicekicks/status/1896412362829344964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>Next up, we saw Kevin Durant rocking a chromed-out iteration of the Nike KD 18 with vibrant green laces as an accent. This was later known as his “EYBL” (Nike Elite Youth Basketball League) sneakers which Durant participates in each year as his way of giving back to the basketball community.</p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant’s “El Valle” KD 18s during the Suns game last night were CLEAN 🔥</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>) <a href="https://t.co/ghX1r5O8Zv">pic.twitter.com/ghX1r5O8Zv</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1904594425353036004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>Finally, we most recently saw Durant lace up a pair of KD 18s inspired by the Suns’ “El Valle” City Edition uniforms that they broke out the other night. The shoes feature a wild combination of purple gradients throughout the uppers while accented in an electric blue lining. They also feature a sunset pattern along the toe box and up through both panels, furthering the theme and playing right into the uniforms. The Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks that night 108-106 as Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points.</p></figure><p>Be on the lookout throughout the upcoming weeks to see more of the Nike KD 18 releases to the public. The shoes retail for $150 and if they’re anything like Durant’s previous releases, they should be widely available to a large audience.</p><p>Which Nike KD 18 colorway is your favorite so far?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.9	6.0	4.2	1.4	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.9	6.0	4.2	1.4	0.9

Kevin Durant news

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