Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) laughs as he watches a replay of his teammate Suns’ guard Devin Booker (1) being fouled by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) in overtime at 

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns saw star forward Kevin Durant involved in some hefty trade discussions and speculation before ultimately not being moved.

Durant will be on the roster for the remainder of the season, though his future (and attitude towards the Suns after reportedly being upset with his name in trade talks) is very much in question.

When speaking with reporters, Suns general manager James Jones says he understands why Durant would be frustrated.

“I would be frustrated too if we weren’t winning and a lot of the blame, a lot of the noise was around me,” Jones said (h/t Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic).

“I know Kevin understands that. He’s human like everyone else, but he’s a hooper and he’s pro and he’s been above it his entire career. He knows where we stand. He’s pivotal for us. He’s one of our leaders. He’s our All-Star and we need him to continue to be who he is and who he’s always been and he’ll help us turn it around.”

Jones also added:

“Kevin has been around the noise his entire career. He’s a pro. He’s the best at it. It gets noisy when you’re not winning.

“The simple fact is we haven’t won enough and if we’re not winning enough, the storylines pop up, but we’re talking about basketball and he’s always shown and will continue to show, and I think this team will continue to show, that despite the things outside of our walls, we’ll focus on the task at hand and focus on ball.”

Focusing on ball is certainly something the Suns should do more of, as Phoenix is just 26-26 with just two games before the All-Star break.