Last year in January, Kevin Durant asked an important question about why he was not part of the GOAT debate. Two titles, two Finals MVPs, and one league MVP haven’t silenced all critics, however. And Barkley leads the chorus questioning Durant’s place in the GOAT discussion. The majority of the time, the debate strikes because KD’s success only truly arrived during his time with the Golden State. After the recent Phoenix Suns’ season, the narrative against him got only stronger.

Last season, in the first round, a young and hungry Minnesota team led by Anthony Edwards swept the Suns. The same Suns who built their big three of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and KD. To make things worse, Phoenix finished two games below .500, missing the league’s expanded play-in field. That’s why Dan Dakich on his show asked Chuck, “Where’s Kevin Durant, and his legacy is he being tarnished?”

“Kevin’s a great player, I think that his legacy is complicated,” Charles Barkley very bluntly stated his opinion. The Suns’ legend point of view is simply because he doesn’t like players joining any super team. Which is what the Slim Reaper did after his move from the Thunder to the Warriors. KD and OKC reached and conference finals in the 2015-16 season and were 3-1 ahead. Yet Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson came in clutch for the Dub Nation. After the loss, Durant moved to the Bay Area, which has left a sour memory.

“Kevin, who’s a great player, you know, other than the fact when he joined the Warriors, he hasn’t been successful anywhere else. And I don’t hold that against him,” Chuck said on the OutKick YouTube channel. The TNT analyst also explained why the 15x All-Star is not part of the GOAT debate.

“He wants to be like ‘Wow, he’s not in a goat conversation, cuz you’re not.’ Plain and simple. You had great success when you joined the Warriors, but not only did you not have success, you actually flamed out in those other places. You got swept last year in the playoffs, you didn’t even make a play-in this year. So that’s those are just facts.” While KD’s time in Brooklyn and Phoenix did not yield another title, it seems he is ready to change that fact.

Charles Barkley and his previous issues with Kevin Durant haunt as a new chapter awaits

Charles Barkley’s barbs haven’t just punctured playoff hopes; they’ve sparked one of the NBA’s most-publicized online feuds. In March 2023, Sir Charles labeled Kevin Durant “very sensitive” to critique, declaring on CBS’s 60 Minutes that Durant “never looked in the mirror and said, ‘Man, was that a fair criticism?’” Fox News. Durant fired back via X: “This ain’t gettin tiring chuck? I’ll never respect the words that come out ya mouth fam just deal with it”

Durant doubled down on respecting legends but rejecting unwarranted jabs, telling Fox News: “I be bothered by NBA greats that are jealous of the generations that come after them”. His rebuttal showed a generational divide Barkley himself acknowledged—”an understatement,” he said of modern players’ thin skins

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Miami Heat are also eyeing a move for the forward. “The sense here is that while the Heat might again pursue Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Miami isn’t going to offer all of its first-round inventory for a 36-year-old with one year left on his contract,” Jackson stated. The move will certainly be great for Miami as they will get a solid trio of Durant, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro.

Landing Durant would complement Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, offsetting Jimmy Butler’s departure and boosting Miami’s title odds. But the Heat connection is a recent development. Previously, the Houston Rockets were favorites to make a move for the 36-year-old veteran superstar. Despite the criticism from Charles Barkley, multiple teams want KD to be part of the franchise’s success. His 27.6 points average per game this season also points towards Durant not being affected by critics as well.