Kevin Durant Makes Long-Awaited Return to Phoenix for 1st Time Since Trade

PHOENIX -- With only four games left to go in the 2025-26 regular season, Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant will finally return to Phoenix to face off against the Suns tonight for the first time since being traded to Houston last summer.

There has already been plenty of drama between Durant and the Suns throughout the course of the season, and he will likely receive a more of a negative reaction at Mortgage Matchup Center for the primetime showdown.

Durant missed the teams' first meeting in Phoenix on Nov. 24 due to personal reasons, as the Rockets have gotten the better of the Suns with a 3-0 record over them this season, and Durant averaged 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the two games he played against them in Houston.

Kevin Durant Returns After Game-Winner vs Suns

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) celebrates forward Kevin Durant (7) three point winning basket against the Suns — Jan 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) celebrates forward Kevin Durant (7) three point winning basket against the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

In the last matchup between the two teams on Jan. 15, Durant hit a game-winning 3-pointer to give Houston a 100-97 victory over the Suns and did not hold back on Phoenix postgame.

"(Phoenix was) a place I didn't want to leave," Durant said. "I don't want to sound to dramatic, but to be kicked out of a place and felt like I've been scapegoated for the issues we had as a team last year, yeah it felt good to beat them and hit a game-winning shot.

”But that's all it is. It's just for the moment. Tomorrow I won't even think about it. It was a fun game, of course, yeah, you play with a little chip on your shoulder against your former team, especially when they trade you."

KEVIN DURANT HITS THE CLUTCH 3 TO WIN IT FOR HOUSTON 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1lC1qjT0Ok
— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2026

Durant's time in Phoenix did not go as many expected with the Suns missing the playoffs last season after getting swept in the first round of the 2024 playoffs and losing in the second round in 2023.

He averaged 26.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7% from the field and 42.7% from 3 across 145 games played for the Suns, as they could never quite figure out building a roster around him and Devin Booker after acquiring Durant from the Brooklyn Nets in Feb. 2023.

Phoenix nearly traded Durant ahead of last season's trade deadline, which blindsided Durant and set the table for the trade in the offseason to Houston, which netted the Suns Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, rookies Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea, and a 2026 second-round pick in return.

"I'm pretty much over it. At the time, it was tough to take," Durant said at shootaround this morning (via Arizona Sports). "A place I wanted to be and keep building, but it's the business of the league, it's the business of basketball, you're not going to be in the same place all the time, so it is what it is.

"Yeah, I was sour early on, but I think I've gotten over it. Time heals all and just move on."

Brooks and Green have been integral to the Suns exceeding preseason expectations, and Durant has praised Phoenix's turnaround this season, but this shot against them in their last matchup unearthed a lot of the feelings he had about the Suns and could bring an interesting dynamic into tonight.

Just a couple weeks ago, Durant referred to the Suns as "that team from the desert," and he will also likely have a lot of mixed emotions returning to Mortgage Matchup Center.

He reflected on the lessons learned from being with the Suns.

"There's nothing really big or significant. I wasn't here long enough to really feel like I left a mark here," Durant said (via Kellan Olson). "And that's unfortunate because I want to leave marks everywhere I go. But it is what it is, you move on and appreciate the time spent."

Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 75 games this season for Houston and has helped lead the Rockets to a 49-29 record, which currently ranks fifth in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Phoenix is pretty much locked into the seventh seed in the West with a 43-35 record, but needs to build some momentum ahead of the play-in after going 4-8 over the last 12 games.

There has been a lot of talk between the two fanbases throughout the course of the year, so tonight could very be well a playoff-like atmosphere and be a great test before the playoffs begin, especially with it being Green's first time playing his former team after he missed the first three meetings due to injury.

"It's going to be a high energy game. Obviously a lot of history there. I'm excited for it," Booker said of the game (via The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin). "It'll be a good test for us. Front end of a back-to-back. We just want to come out, like I've been saying, play the right style of basketball this time of the year."

Tonight's game is scheduled to tip off shortly after 8:00 p.m. MST and will be televised on NBC and Peacock.