A few days ago, Phoenix Suns governor Mat Ishbia and former Suns star Kevin Durant had a bit of a spat on social media. Ishbia's quote regarding “throwing money at the problem” not being the solution made the rounds on social media, and he namedropped Durant, saying that bringing in someone like the two-time NBA Finals MVP doesn't guarantee team success.

Durant did not take too kindly to seeing his name get dragged around. The Suns governor then replied by saying that Durant, who is now with the Houston Rockets, may have simply seen the quote out of context. Moreover, he clarified that he didn't necessarily blame Durant for the Suns' disappointing finishes in his two-and-a-half seasons with the team.

Ishbia's stance regarding the matter hasn't changed, and he doubled down on his defense after coming under fire for his remarks.

“I don't know if you saw it, but I said what I said. I think [Durant] misinterpreted it. He just kind of read some headline rather than actually watching the video, and sometimes he does that. And so he misunderstood it, and I figured I'd clarify it for him. But I feel good about what I said about the NBA and how it works,” Ishbia said in an interview posted by women's basketball insider Khristina Williams.

Phoenix Mercury and Suns owner Mat Ishbia says he doesn’t regret recent social media frenzy with Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/BfmM5zMLKV

— Khristina (@Khristina) October 20, 2026

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Ishbia purchased the Suns franchise for $4 billion in December 2022 after a scandal brought an end to Robert Sarver's ownership of the team. He would then urge the front office to be aggressive; they broke up the core that made it to the 2021 NBA Finals by trading Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Jae Crowder, along with significant draft assets, to bring in Durant.

They would then make more changes to the roster after losing in the second round of the playoffs in 2023, trading away Deandre Ayton to acquire Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen. Moreover, they sent floor general Chris Paul away in a trade for Bradley Beal. They would then get swept in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs and they would miss the postseason entirely in 2025.

The Suns traded Durant to the Rockets last year for a package headlined by Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, surprisingly making it to the playoffs.