Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will enter his 18th NBA season. Although Durant is one of the older stars in the league, he remains an elite talent. The 15-time All-Star played for 62 games and was one of the scoring leaders of the Suns in his final season there.
With the Rockets, it might look the same as the team needs a primary scorer. After trading away their leading scorer in Jalen Green, the Rockets look comfortable with KD taking over the scoring reins for the 2025-26 season. Durant is still a significant offensive threat with the ball in his hands, which is why he hasn't considered retirement.
On Wednesday, Durant posted on his Instagram about ignoring retirement. He had a cold message for the league ahead of the next season. The two-time champion sent a message to the critics of the recent Suns-Rockets trade.

"Anyone else would retire, but I'm not content," Durant wrote. "I wanna bury these n****s like 20 feet down. So no one can find them again."
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Kevin Durant isn't shy to call out his critics and often has something to say to them online. However, his recent message appears to be a warning for the upcoming season. The 2008 Rookie of the Year didn't waste time sending out a message after the OKC Thunder won the 2025 NBA title.
The Golden State Warriors' head coach is one of the reasons why Kevin Durant wasn't traded back to his former team
Leading up to the Kevin Durant trade, some teams wanted to acquire the champion forward. One of the teams that tried to make a deal for KD was the Golden State Warriors. Having him back with the Warriors would be an easy transition for the star forward.
However, he wasn't sent back to the Warriors, but was dealt to the Rockets. According to a new report, one of the major reasons he isn't back in the Golden State is because of head coach Steve Kerr.
“Durant’s exit from the Bay Area arguably had more to do with his issues with Steve Kerr than any shouting match with Green,” Logan Murdock wrote. “Durant repeatedly complained both publicly and privately about Kerr’s offensive principles during his final season with the Warriors, and he continued to do so even after he left for Brooklyn. The two have since reconciled, but league sources identify Kerr as among the reasons Durant opted not to return to Golden State at the trade deadline.”
Having him back with the Warriors would've been an interesting sight. Kevin Durant would have had the chance to contend with Steph Curry and Draymond Green to potentially win another title together.
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