A terrible Phoenix Suns' season got worse on Sunday, as Kevin Durant went down with what appeared to be a bad ankle sprain in their dispiriting 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets. The same team that is likely to benefit more than anybody else from the Suns' dreadful campaign, as they have control of their draft pick this summer.
Prior to rolling his ankle, Durant had also gotten into it with Dillon Brooks, as the Suns were once again exposed defensively. Bradley Beal continued to sit out, although at this point it is fair to wonder if the team are better off with him sitting on the bench. Their recent four-game win streak had been powered by Durant, although this was the third straight game they had dropped.
The amount of time Durant is likely to miss has now been revealed.
In the immediate aftermath of the game fans were told that Durant was due to have an MRI scan on the sprain, to determine how bad it actually was. Even before the results were known, there were plenty of fans who were in favor of shutting him down for the rest of the season. The Suns are going nowhere, but Durant could yet be this summer.
Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least one week through team's three-game road trip with a left ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN. Suns are 1.5 games out of Play-In with the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2025
More for NBA Today on ESPN at 3 pm ET. pic.twitter.com/grdYpJEPJ5
ESPN Insider Shams Charania has now come out and said that Durant will miss at least a week of action, a positive update considering it looked a bad sprain at the time. Then again - with the toughest remaining schedule left in the league and with the team 1.5 games out of a play-in tournament spot - this is hardly good news either.
The Suns are about to embark on a critical three-game road trip, and not having Durant for that spin out of Phoenix is going to hurt their chances to win these games. Trying to put a positive spin on this however, and perhaps this is just the news that Devin Booker needs to once again put the franchise on his back, even if it may put him in the shop window this summer.
"I would love to see Devin Booker with the Pistons. They need another scoring punch, they need a veteran that can be a one-two punch with Cade Cunningham."@TeamLou23 still isn't a fan of anonymous quotes, but he does think DBook in Detroit is a great idea 💡 pic.twitter.com/SIuHQg9iwH
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 20, 2025
Another important factor here is the future of Durant in Phoenix, and it is well known that the organization were open to moving him at the deadline. Should they lose their next few games while he is out of action, then the smart move may be shutting him down for the remainder of the regular season.
Not because the Suns shouldn't want to win those games - it is only going to give the Rockets a better pick if they don't - but to ensure Durant has some trade value this summer. The market for 36-year-olds with chequered injury histories isn't as vast as the Suns would like it to be - and although there have already been some early whispers - they need to protect their only true asset.
Owner Mat Ishbia has been bullish on not wanting to move Booker, while we all know Beal is going nowhere. This update then isn't the worst news that the organization could have received, and yet it still might be that we have now seen Kevin Durant suit up in a Phoenix Suns' uniform for the last time. If so, it was an awesome - but also completely underwhelming - experience.