"Because KD said no" - NBA insider reveals Kevin Durant trade rumors fueled 'toxic' environment in Suns' locker room

In the final days leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline, there was quite a bit of talk surrounding a trade that would send Kevin Durant back to the Golden State Warriors. The reports began to pick up steam, however, NBA Insider Shams Charania then provided some clarity, reporting that Kevin Durant did not want to rejoin his old team in Golden State.

At the same time, talk of a Bradley Beal-Jimmy Butler swap stalled, with Butler ultimately landing in Golden State, while Phoenix retained their big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Phoenix Suns' locker room has descended into a state of toxicity, after the team was prepared to send Durant to Golden State, and Durant pumped the brakes and brought negotiations to a screeching halt.

During Thursday's episode of NBA Today on ESPN, Shelburne spoke with Kendrick Perkins, Brian Windhorst, Malika Andrews, and Bob Myers about the situation, and the impact it has had on the Suns.

"Toxic. That shoot around yesterday, I heard was very awkward ... because everybody was on pins and needles wondering what they were going to do," Shelburne said. "And I think now you have this reset, how do you move forward as a team when there is a clear mandate here like, 'They have to do something,'"

"And the thing they were trying to do did not come to fruition," the NBA analyst added. "Kevin Durant said, 'No.' It's hard to move forward, and that's where they're left."

Looking at the Phoenix Suns' transactions leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline after Kevin Durant deal falls through

Heading into the home stretch of the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline, the expectation was that the Phoenix Suns would part ways with Bradley Beal in order to land Jimmy Butler.

With the team sitting in play-in contention in the Western Conference, the belief seemed to be that the team needed to make one, or several pre-deadline moves in order to have a real shot at going all the way.

While the team wound up holding on to Kevin Durant, they did make two notable moves, acquiring big man Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets in mid-January along with a second-round pick in exchange for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks.

Then, on Thursday, Shams Charania reported that the team would be shipping Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to Charlotte in exchange for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick.

While the move for Nurkic wasn't entirely surprising given that he saw reduced playing time compared to last year in Mike Budenholzer's rotations, the Suns seemingly failed to land a high-profile target in hopes of a playoff push.

From the sounds of things, the team is now hoping that with the deadline behind them, players can focus on putting their best foot forward rather than worrying about being traded. Whether or not that strategy will be able to help the team and its players, only time will tell.