Kevin Durant is not letting his old boss rewrite his Phoenix run. Suns owner Mat Ishbia called the 2023 trade for Durant a case of throwing money at the problem, Durant fired back in public, and then Dillon Brooks jumped in and made it personal.
Ishbia said it on CNBC Sport, looking back at the deal he pulled days after buying the Suns for $4 billion in 2023: he kind of just threw money at the problem, and super talented players like Durant do not necessarily lead to championships.
Durant quoted the clip on X and went straight at him:
#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
Kevin Durant on X
That DUI line was also a shot at Brooks, who came to Phoenix in the trade that sent Durant to Houston and was formally charged with DUI last month over a March arrest in Scottsdale.
Ishbia tried to cool it down, telling Durant he did not blame him and that Phoenix is happy with the culture it is building now, with the right guys and the right focus. Durant was not buying the peace offering:
U should be giving Thanks every chance u get. You don’t have to pay me an absurd amount of money to play for another team.
Kevin Durant on X
The money line cuts because Phoenix knows that bill. The Suns bought out Bradley Beal in 2025 and stretched the remaining $96.9 million over five years, paying him to play somewhere else. Durant cost them nothing like that.
Then Brooks co-signed his owner on Instagram and took his own shot:
Thanks Mat for cleaning up that stench in the locker room before I came. #culture
Dillon Brooks on Instagram
Durant averaged 26.8 points a game in Phoenix and is now in Houston, but the breakup is clearly not finished.
SEE ALSO: Dillon Brooks Formally Charged With DUI Over That March Traffic Stop and Devin Booker Says He Spent $115 Million On His Car Collection And Nobody Believes Him