Phoenix have now lost their last five games and their is one clear reason why they haven’t been able to win lately: Kevin Durant has been injured from a strain calf for over two weeks now. With the medical team expecting to reevaluate his situation again this week, their fans hope he returns as soon as possible to continue their playoff push.
The truth is, the Suns are currently holding a 9-7 record because of KD’s stellar start of the 2024-25 campaign, and club owner Mat Ishbia knows about the importance of keeping the 14-time All-Star in his roster for years to come. In fact, the franchise executive wishes him to retire in Arizona.
“We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix,” Ishbia recently told ESPN, as the inevitable question about his retirement keeps coming up as the superstar is already 36-years of age. The Suns organization are already working on a plan to ensure he remains the face of their club.
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia plans to offer Kevin Durant a $120 million extension this summer after he said the two sides bypassed the eligible one-year agreement in July. https://t.co/ZTF6NJysMt https://t.co/ZTF6NJysMt
— Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) November 20, 2024
“We expect Kevin to sign an extension, to be with us for the long term,”Ishbia revealed, outlining the team’s strategy for retaining Durant. “You can’t sign a two-year extension this last summer, you can’t do it based on the NBA rules. So we figured after the season we’ll talk about it, take care of it.”
Ishbia shared the news with optimism, believing that Kevin would love to say put. “(Durant) loves being in Phoenix, and we love having him,” he shared this week. “Kevin wants to be here, we want Kevin here. There’s never been one grumbling of anything different.”
As the team’s leading scorer, the All-Star forward has been averaging 27.6 points per match —12th in the league— even surpassing teammates Devin Booker (23.5) and Bradley Beal (17.8). “He’s off to an amazing start this season, and we’re off to a very good start,” the owner said during the interview.
Ever since KD suffered a calf strain almost two weeks ago against the Mavericks, the Suns have been having a hard time this NBA season. Now Phoenix is enduring five-straight losses without the future Hall of Famer, but his coach told the press that his team will get over this rough patch because they are a strong group.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer guarantees his team will stick together amid recent losing streak: ‘They’re very resilient’
It was after this Tuesday evening’s 109-99 loss to the Magic, where the Suns head coach guaranteed that his squad’s resilience will get them out of this situation. “These guys are going to stay together… it’s a good group,” Budenholzer said convincingly in last night’s postgame press conference.
“They’ve got a good spirit, they’ve got a good way about them. Through good times and the hard times, you have to keep coming to work, put your individual time, put your team time in, and keep your head up,“ Mike added. “This group will do that. They’re very good, they’re very resilient.”
Tyus Jones was Phoenix’s leading scorer against Orlando last night with 18 points to his name. Once the game was over, he also expressed optimism despite playing without two of his strongest co-stars. The 28-year-old explained how sticking together as a team is crucial in this situation.
“It’s a long season, it’s a long season,” Jones assured. “There are ups and downs in the season. There are times that we’re going to be playing great ball, and there are times when we’re going to be struggling to get a win like right now.”
