Kevin Durant slams Suns owner Mat Ishbia over trade criticism on X

Durant used a hashtag and emojis to fire back at Ishbia's comments that acquiring him was a mistake.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 17 Oct 2026 21:48:29 GMT

Kevin Durant posted a sarcastic response on X after Suns owner Mat Ishbia said acquiring the 16‑time All‑Star was a mistake, according to two New York Post reports published on Oct. 17, 2026.

What happened

In a CNBC interview earlier this week, Ishbia said the Suns bought the team when it was an eighth or ninth seed and questioned whether spending money on a star like Durant would guarantee championships. The comments were reported by the New York Post. Durant replied by resharing the interview story and adding his own X post that included the hashtag “#blameKD” (or “#blameKDeven” in the second article), seven laughing‑face emojis and a mocking statement about Ishbia’s remarks.

What the reports add

Both Post articles describe the same exchange but differ in wording. The first article quotes Durant’s post as “#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much,” while the second article records the hashtag as “#blameKDeven” and adds a string of laughing emojis after the line “Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads.” Both note that Ishbia had previously said the Suns were a low seed when he bought the team and that the trade sent multiple players and picks to the Nets in 2023.

What was said

Mat Ishbia told CNBC, “The team was, I think, the eight or nine seed when I bought the team, and we had some good young players. Can we get over the top?” (New York Post).
Kevin Durant wrote on X, “#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂” (New York Post).

How it came about

Durant was acquired by Phoenix in a 2023 deadline trade that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first‑round picks and a 2028 pick swap to the Nets. He averaged 26.8 points per game over 145 regular‑season games for the Suns, but the team won only one playoff series and missed the postseason in 2025, prompting a trade to the Houston Rockets in July 2025. Ishbia’s recent comments revisited that trade, prompting Durant’s social‑media retort.

Key facts

Kevin Durant responded to Suns owner Mat Ishbia's criticism on X with a sarcastic post. (nypost.com)
Ishbia said the Suns were an eighth or ninth seed when he bought the team and questioned the value of spending on Durant. (nypost.com)
Durant was acquired by Phoenix in a 2023 trade that sent multiple players and picks to the Nets. (nypost.com)
Durant averaged 26.8 points per game in 145 regular‑season games for the Suns. (nypost.com)

Where accounts differ

Exact wording of Durant's hashtag and emojis: "#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much," with seven laughing emojis (nypost.com); "#blameKDeven even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂" (nypost.com)