NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Went More Than a Month Without Speaking to Ex-Suns HC Vogel

zach bacharContributor IMay 13, 2024

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The relationship between Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant and former head coach Frank Vogel reportedly was not the strongest.

On Monday’s First Take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith revealed that Durant went “more than a month” without talking to Vogel (0:30 mark).

Vogel was fired by the Suns on Thursday following the team’s first-round exit in the 2024 NBA playoffs, with former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer coming in as his replacement on Friday.

The disconnect between Vogel and the team’s roster seemed to be a common theme throughout the year.

After Phoenix was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic revealed that the head coach yelled at his team following an April 9 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

However, Suns players reportedly viewed the outburst as “forced and out of character” for Vogel. When the former Los Angeles Lakers coach lit into his team during a shootaround the following day, some members of the team were “rolling their eyes.”

As for Durant, he “never felt comfortable” with his role under Vogel and believed that he was “relegated to the corner far too often” in the offense, per Charania and Haller.

Entering the 2023-24 season, the Suns had lofty expectations. Durant was entering his first full year with the team, while Phoenix acquired three-time All-Star Bradley Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards before the season started.

The trio of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker failed to live up to expectations. The three players struggled to stay on the floor at the same time, with Beal missing 29 regular-season games due to ankle and hamstring issues.

Phoenix’s lack of depth was exposed as a result, with the team averaging the fewest bench points per game in the association (via NBA.com).

While the Suns were able to finish with 49 wins, their first-round sweep to the Timberwolves contained three double-digit losses.