PHOENIX — Suns fans, you can breathe easy. Kevin Durant isn't going anywhere. And that comes straight from No. 35 himself.
On June 25, Durant became the subject of trade rumors in the lead up to the NBA Draft. It started when the Houston Rockets made a trade with the Brooklyn Nets that landed them the rights to all of the draft picks the Suns sent to Brooklyn for Durant in Feb. 2023.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski then posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Houston traded for those picks with the hopes of trading for Durant in the future.
ESPN personality then went on First Take on June 26 and said the Suns "want out of Kevin Durant," a report that was later refuted by Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
Kevin Durant addresses trade rumors
Smith attempted to double down on his report on June 27, but now it is being shot down once and for all by Durant himself.
"You could just press the 'KD want to leave' button anytime you want some attention," Durant said in an interview with Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill at USA Basketball's Olympic training camp in Las Vegas on Saturday. "Yes, it’s a button. What else is gonna get people going around this time? Besides, 'Oh, the journeyman is leaving again.' That story is always gonna hit.
"It's hard not to hear what they got to say about you. Because especially when you could just make up lies and everybody gonna believe you."
Durant said all of the reports about him being traded by the Suns are "lies" and that he has been in contact with the team's front office, coaching staff and players all offseason.
"So for somebody to say, ‘Phoenix wants to get out of the KD (business),’ I’m sitting here like, where is this coming from?” Durant said. “It bothers me that people lie like that and that the audience eats up the headline. I get sad when people buy into lies and just make up s***.
"It’s bigger than ball at that point for me. I can’t control that. I feel for people. It’s a bad practice to have when you just believe anything, for one. Just believe what you see on TV. And then it’s another bad habit when you’re just lying."
Kevin Durant sidelined by calf injury
Disputing the trade rumors wasn't the only reason Durant made headlines on Sunday. The soon-to-be four-time Olympian has also been sidelined for the start of Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas due to a strained calf, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Durant did not take part in practices on Saturday or Sunday and right now, it is not clear whether or not he will play in Wednesday's tune-up game against Canada.
"We're just going to use an abundance of caution," US men's basketball coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Sunday. "It's not bad. He's assuring me that it's not bad. We're just going to be really careful and take it day by day."
After playing Canada in Las Vegas, Team USA will travel to Abu Dhabi and play tune-up games against Australia (July 15) and Serbia (July 17). They will then travel to London and play tune-up games against South Sudan (July 20) and Germany (July 22).
Team USA will open group play in the 2024 Olympics in Lille, France, on July 28 against Serbia.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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