NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins’ focus was on the moves that the Phoenix Suns were unable to make leading up to the trade deadline. More specifically, the negative effect the past few weeks of the organization trying to trade superstar Kevin Durant will ultimately have on the Top 75 player’s legacy.
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When discussing how the Phoenix Suns should approach the last hour of the trade deadline, after KD rejected a trade back to the Golden State Warriors, which left the Suns — who are struggling in 10th place in the Western Conference — scrambling to make a trade, as the powers in the West shift with mega stars on the move, Perkins’ opinion about Durant was not favorable.
Golden State ended up getting Miami’s disgruntled star Jimmy Butler in a multi-team negotiation that nets Butler a new two-year, $111 million deal through the 2026-27 season.
Despite KD surviving the trade deadline, Perkins says it’s safe to say that he won’t have the championship success that was laid out for him when he teamed up with two other prolific NBA scoring guards. Durant, who turned 36 in September, is currently signed for one more season before he is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 and has reiterated that he wants to stay with the Suns. Clearly, he meant whether they want him or not
Kendrick Perkins Says Kevin Durant Has Failed Phoenix Suns Like He Did Brooklyn Nets
“The real story is another organization, another failure for Kevin Durant,” Perkins said to the surprise of the other panelists, including Malika Andrews.
“You get a new coach. You fired Frank Vogel last year, you’ve got Mike Budenholzer, who’s a championship coach. You add the pieces and here you are,” Perkins said on “NBA Today” with the trade deadline less than 50 minutes from ending.
“Another organization and another failure for Kevin Durant since leaving Golden State. He was a failure with the Brooklyn Nets and a failure now. There’s no way that you have Devin Booker, Bradley Beal on the same team and your team is at .500 and you have all this turmoil.”
Panelist Bob Myers pushed back by defending Durant and placing the blame on the Suns organization, but Perkins wasn’t trying to hear it.
Perkins Says Durant Has Lacked Leadership Since Leaving Golden State
“We aren’t dealing with children,” said Perkins. “There’s one champion on that (Suns) team, and he’s a two-time finals MVP. Again, leadership comes into play. I’m looking at the situation and there’s no leadership whatsoever”.
Perkins explained that Durant wanted Jimmy Butler to come there in a trade, moving Bradley Beal out. “If that happened, they both would have signed contract extensions,” Perkins said.”
However, Perkins insisted that despite those setbacks, Durant hasn’t stepped up as the veteran legend he is and made sure his team was performing at the highest level.
“We are talking about why they are here to this point. No leadership. They have to have some level of accountability,” Perkins griped.
Durant Has Played With Some Great Players and Come Up Short: What’s Next?
The fact that KD has been provided some incredible talent to play with and has failed to close the deal, while Steph Curry went on to win another championship without Durant, is one of the aspects of Durant’s great legacy that nitpickers focus on.
His failures with some of the most stacked teams to ever play in the NBA is also a point of criticism for some.
It’s also a lesson that just because you stack your team with big names with big games doesn’t mean the chemistry or the good fortune to stay healthy is guaranteed. Durant will have some tough decisions to make, now that he knows the Phoenix Suns tried to trade him. Where will he go and how will he position himself for a few last championship runs before it’s time to hang it up?
Big Perk, a mainstay on ESPN’s “First Take” show, doesn’t see the fire burning or the leadership that would suggest Durant can still make the same impact in the locker room and on the court.
