As much as Kevin Durant‘s notoriety on social media has been talked about in his career, nothing comes even close to the current saga since 2017, when he accidentally criticized his OKC teammates and coach Billy Donovan with his X account. After eight years, KD has once again found himself in a similar controversy. A series of screenshots of his alleged chat through his burner account was made public by a user, which caught the Houston Rockets star undervaluing and mocking his former and current teammates.

One of his former teammates mentioned in the chat was Devin Booker. As the Phoenix Suns get ready to make a run for the playoffs after the All-Star break, reporters asked Booker about Durant’s alleged comments.

“I was just with him All-Star weekend. Nothing was said about it,” the Suns star told reporters. “You don’t know what’s true and what’s not nowadays.”

In the messages that were exchanged when Durant was in Phoenix, the two-time NBA champion vilified Booker and coach Frank Vogel. He was also upset with two separate and opposite narratives around him and Booker amid the Suns’ struggles. “The Suns are my team when we lose and Books team when we win,” he wrote in the message. However, Booker downplayed the seriousness of the exchange.

“I don’t pay too much (attention) to it. Even if it is true, I understand there’s trolls nowadays,” he added. “That’s what a lot of social media is. It’s trolling and it’s a good time. It’s a fun time. I don’t take any of it too personal.”

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Durant had joined Booker in Phoenix in the second half of the 2022-23 season, after forcing his way out of Brooklyn. However, despite realistic championship expectations, the trio of Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal was a big failure. In the two full seasons that Durant played, in the first, the Suns exited with a sweep in the first round, and in the next season, they failed to make a cut for the playoffs.

While Durant’s alleged comments are certainly unfortunate, they don’t affect the Suns. It’s his Rockets teammates that Durant might have wrongfully vilified and eventually marred the team’s chemistry.

Kevin Durant’s “Twitter nonsense” can derail Rockets’ season

Of all the players and the team that Durant discussed in the leaked chat, the Rockets have the most to lose. In the alleged text messages from the All-Star player, he mocked Jabari Smith Jr. and said that Smith couldn’t “make a f**kin shot or get a stop.” Durant even called him “retarded.” He also had harsh words for Alperen Sengun, calling out his defense and shot-making caliber.

“Ima turn the ball over with this shitty a*s team. Idgaf. Your franchise player can’t shoot or defend,” Durant said in response to his high turnover rate. “That’s a wayyyyyyy bigger issue than my turnovers. Remember, these guys are your future.”

As harsh as these words are from Durant, the talk outside the locker room makes it much worse. Despite a recent 2-3 record in the last five games, the Rockets are in a great position to make a deep playoff run. The behind-the-back mockery of his teammates could end up creating a big communication gap in Ime Udoka’s locker room.

What’s even worse is the fact that Durant didn’t even deny being the user of the burner account. “I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant said. I’m just here to focus on the season, keep it pushing,” he said when a reporter asked him about the Twitter controversy.

So far, there is no word from the Rockets’ locker room. Perhaps Thursday’s post-game presser can give a better picture of where the Rockets really stand on the whole Durant saga.