Kevin Durant spent two and a half seasons with the Phoenix Suns before they traded him to the Houston Rockets in July 2025.

Ishbia made the comments on “CNBC Sport,” the CNBC podcast hosted by Alex Sherman. He opened up about his approach as an owner and admitted to one major mistake.

Mat Ishbia Walks Through the Kevin Durant Trade and Its Aftermath

Ishbia recalled the Suns being around the eighth or ninth seed at the time, although Phoenix was actually 30-26 and fifth in the Western Conference when the Durant trade was reported.

Ishbia said he was told that, as an owner, he should stay out of the way and supply the money. He said he agreed to go into luxury tax territory and told the team to do whatever it took to win a championship. He called Durant a good player who had won two championships before he arrived.

“We had a couple of years, and it did not succeed, as we’re well aware of at this point,” Ishbia said.

He said he then decided to trade Durant, bring in his own general manager and coach, and personally get involved in choosing the kind of player and person the Suns want. Without saying whether Durant fit that mold, he named Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin as examples.

Durant, now entering his second season in Houston, has previously talked about the end of his time in Phoenix. In September 2025, he said he was initially a little upset to learn through trade rumors that the Suns were considering moving him before the 2025 trade deadline, because he felt the two sides had built a solid relationship. He said he got over it quickly.

Ishbia said his biggest lesson is that “we have to define what we’re about in Phoenix, then stick with it and believe in our vision and our path. And I didn’t do that at the beginning. I kind of just threw money at the problem.”

Ishbia said the Suns have since defined what they want in a player, an identity he called the Suns DNA. He said he is now personally involved in every decision, from the end of the bench to the top of the roster, and in every part of the operation, including the fan experience, the players and the coaches.

“Bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily lead to championships, right?” Ishbia said.

He said Phoenix wants players who share the franchise’s vision, work ethic, and attitude. Now that the Suns have defined that type, he said, “now we only get those type of players.”

But the comment didn’t sit too well with Durant, who has been away from X for the last few weeks. He returned to the platform to respond to Ishbia’s comments.

“#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this “culture” you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads,” the Rockets star said.

It’s quite surprising to see Durant go against his former team’s owner. But if there’s one thing we know about the two-time champ, it’s that he will never back down from standing up for himself. Durant did manage to put up impressive numbers while in Phoenix, averaging 26.8 points and 6.3 rebounds.

But it didn’t work out with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who formed a big three with Durant in Arizona. Booker remains with the team, whereas Durant and Beal left Phoenix in July 2025.

Ishbia said that going into last season, everyone thought Phoenix would be the worst team in the league. The Suns made the playoffs instead, finishing 45-37, and he said they plan to build on that. Whether a roster built to that standard can go further than last season is the question the Suns take into the new season.