"Should've went back to Curry lil bro" - NBA fans pile on Suns' misery as Kevin Durant waives off coach Mike Budenholzer on the bench

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns led 30-24 in the first quarter against the LA Clippers on Tuesday. The visiting team responded in the next period with a dominant 41-19 advantage, behind Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac and James Harden.

Following a timeout after the Clippers’ surge, Durant and Suns coach Mike Budenholzer had an interesting exchange on the sidelines. Budenholzer approached the former MVP before KD brushed him off. They had a spirited back-and-forth as the Suns huddled to regroup.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the viral clip:

“Should've went back to curry lil bro,” one tweeted.

One fan said:

“KD an all-time great who continually makes bad career choices"

“He should be on this surging Warriors team now but instead he’s about to miss the playoffs on the Suns cause he killed the trade himself,” said another.

Another fan added:

“Even Giannis a better player in his prime didn’t treat Bud like that. Soft KD”

@bookofthefates continued:

“Should’ve left by the deadline buddy”

@_Vyrizz reacted:

“He's a Maverick in the off season”

Durant was a fixture in trade rumors in early February. He confirmed on the Draymond Green Show that he vetoed the trade to the Golden State Warriors to stay in Phoenix. KD wanted to stick through his commitment and see how the Suns would perform, considering the team doesn't have major injuries to key players.

Heading into the All-Star break, the Suns held a 26-28 record. Early in March, they have gotten worse, toting a 28-33 win-loss slate for 11th in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant and Co. are in danger of missing even the play-in tournament.

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Kevin Durant and the Suns continue to struggle despite Mike Budenholzer’s adjustments

Mike Budenholzer made changes to the starting lineup to help address the Phoenix Suns’ struggles in December. He kept Kevin Durant, Tyus Jones and Devin Booker in the opening five but benched Bradley Beal for rookie Ryan Dunn. Budenholzer also inserted Nick Richards in the starting center role for Jusuf Nurkic, who was eventually traded.

The move failed to get the hoped-for results, prompting Budenholzer to tinker with the starting five again. After the All-Star break, he benched Jones and brought back Beal. Bol Bol, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale have replaced Dunn, depending on matchups.

Budenholzer has less than two months to figure out which players to surround Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with. If they fail to make the playoffs, the coach and KD might not return for the 2025-26 campaign.