At 36, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant finds himself at a crossroads. His stint with the Suns appears to be over after parts of three seasons, with Phoenix seemingly looking to move his $55 million salary in a contract year before the 2026 season.

While Smith downplayed this, claiming he was simply multitasking during a timeout, he received a message on Instagram from Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant who seemingly took exception to the ESPN analyst playing on his phone during the game. "Cmon Steve," Durant wrote on his Instagram story.

Udonis Haslem rose rapidly in NBA media over the past year or so, jumping from a podcast to ESPN to a role on the inaugural season of the NBA on Prime Video. All the while, Haslem has worked for the Miami Heat as the team’s vice president of player development.

“Listen, they could give away Bradley Beal if they could,” Smith continued. “They can’t because he has a no-trade clause. Can’t get rid of him. They’re stuck with him, which is why KD is the only asset you have.” Smith later said the Suns have to “do it for themselves” and this situation “can’t be about Durant” when negotiating the deal.

Logic dictates that as a player gets older, his body is more inclined to break down, and that's regardless of how well anyone takes care of himself — LeBron James excluded, as we're getting awfully close to deeming him an actual alien. (Although, nagging injuries do appear to be finally creeping in for LeBron.)

Jay Williams Says Kevin Durant Would Get Anthony Edwards to 'Next Level' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Kevin Durant has been part of some high-profile moves to new teams over the past decade in the NBA. However, at this point of his career, there are aspects that complicate what could be his next one this summer out of Phoenix.