Kevin Durant and Mat Ishbia spar on X days before both teams open the season

Kevin Durant and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia traded pointed posts on X on Saturday, October 17, after a clip circulated of Ishbia reflecting on the 2023 trade that brought the star forward to Phoenix, a public spat between a player and his former owner that is rare even by NBA standards.

In the clip, taken from an interview with CNBC Sport, Ishbia described his approach during the Durant era by saying, “I kind of just threw money at the problem,” and added that collecting highly talented players does not guarantee a championship.

Durant, now with the Houston Rockets, answered shortly before 2 p.m. ET. Under the tag #blameKD, he pointed out that he kept playing at a high level at age 36, scoffed at the talk of culture that Ishbia uses to describe the new-look Suns, and said the owner was treating him as though he had been arrested.

Ishbia replied a little over two hours later. He wrote that Durant had clearly not watched the whole clip, insisted he had not blamed him, said he is pleased with the group Phoenix has assembled and wished him well in Houston this season.

Durant was not finished. About 13 minutes later he fired back that Ishbia ought to be grateful, adding: “You don’t have to pay me an absurd amount of money to play for another team.”

How the partnership ended

Phoenix acquired Durant from the Brooklyn Nets at the February 2023 trade deadline, pairing him with Devin Booker and later Bradley Beal in an expensive bid for a title that never produced a deep playoff run. The Suns traded Durant to Houston in the summer of 2025, receiving a package that included Dillon Brooks. They also waived and stretched Beal’s contract that offseason.

Sports Illustrated read Durant’s remark about an arrest as a dig at Brooks and his line about gratitude as a reference to the money Phoenix still owes Beal. Durant did not name either player.

What comes next

Both teams open the regular season on Wednesday, October 21. Durant and the Rockets host the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. ET (Mavericks at Rockets Game Center), and the Suns visit the Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. ET (Suns at Trail Blazers Game Center).