Kevin Durant has struggled to achieve playoff success since leaving the Warriors, despite his individual scoring prowess. His teams, including the Nets and Suns, have consistently fallen short in the postseason.
Key points
Kevin Durant is a top NBA scorer and player.
He had significant playoff success with the Thunder and Warriors.
Since leaving the Warriors, his teams have struggled in the playoffs.
Durant has played for the Nets and Suns post-Warriors.
Mentioned in this story
Kevin Durant
Golden State WarriorsBrooklyn NetsPhoenix SunsOklahoma City Thunder
Throughout his entire career, Kevin Durant has been one of the NBA's best scorers and overall players. That hasn't changed over 18 years. But Durant's level of team success certainly has.
In Oklahoma City, he was regularly leading the Thunder on deep playoff runs as a rising star and MVP. In Golden State, he was one of many stars on a dynastic squad, winning two Finals MVPs with his dominance. But in the years since, fans haven't gotten to see Durant on the NBA's biggest stages.
The now-37-year-old is now well-removed from his Warriors years, but despite his individual excellence, Durant's teams have continually come up short in the playoffs.
Here's a look at Durant's playoff history since leaving Golden State.
After returning from injury for the 2019 NBA Finals, then tearing his Achilles in Game 5 of the series against the Raptors, Durant became a free agent the following offseason. Even with the knowledge that he likely wouldn't play in the 2019-20 season due to his injury recovery, he decided to leave Golden State after three seasons, with two championships and another Finals appearance.
Q&A
What is Kevin Durant's playoff record since leaving the Warriors?
Kevin Durant's playoff record since leaving the Warriors has been disappointing, with his teams failing to advance deep into the postseason.
How many teams has Kevin Durant played for since leaving the Warriors?
Since leaving the Warriors, Kevin Durant has played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns.
What were Kevin Durant's achievements with the Warriors?
With the Warriors, Kevin Durant won two NBA championships and earned two Finals MVP awards.
Why has Kevin Durant's playoff success declined since joining the Nets and Suns?
Kevin Durant's playoff success has declined due to various factors, including team dynamics and injuries affecting his squads.
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Durant announced on June 30, 2019, that he planned to sign with the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kyrie Irving, with the two making a new star duo in the Eastern Conference.
Durant did miss the entire 2019-20 season due to his injury, while Irving also spent most of that season injured, but the two returned to the floor in 2020-21 as teammates on the floor for the first time.
Kevin Durant playoff record since leaving Warriors
14-21 (.400)
Since he left Golden State in 2019, Durant's teams have made the playoffs five times in six years, not including his injured 2019-20 season in Brooklyn.
Of those playoff trips between the Nets, Suns and Rockets, Durant-led teams have won just two series while going 14-21 in the playoffs overall, as of Houston's Game 4 win over the Lakers in the 2026 first round to cut the series deficit to 3-1.
For his years between the Thunder and Warriors from 2007-19, in comparison, Durant-led teams went 88-51 in the playoffs, including Oklahoma City's 2012 Finals appearance and three additional Western Conference Finals appearances with the Thunder, then two championships and an additional NBA Finals appearance with the Warriors.
Here's a look at each Durant-led playoff run since he left Golden State.
The Nets went 35-37 in 2019-20 and still made the playoffs, but Durant wasn't playing for that squad led by Irving for most of the season.
When Durant returned in 2020-21 under a new head coach in Steve Nash, the Durant-Irving duo quickly became a trio, with the Nets acquiring James Harden in a January 2021 trade with the Rockets. Brooklyn had plenty of star power and finished with 48 wins, then beat the Celtics in five games in the first round.
However, despite all that star power, health was typically a major issue between Durant, Harden and Irving ā and the Nets lost Game 7 of their second-round series against the Bucks, 115-111, with Milwaukee going on to win it all.
Durant had 48 points in Game 7 for Brooklyn, which didn't have Irving available. On a potential game-winning shot in the fourth quarter, Durant's toe was on the line, making it only a game-tying shot and sending it to overtime, where the Nets lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.
Between the talent of the Nets (Blake Griffin, Bruce Brown, Nic Claxton and more as reserves) and the fact that they lost to the eventual champions, this is typically viewed as Durant's best post-Warriors playoff run.
2021-22 Nets: Lost in first round to Celtics
After signing an extension with Brooklyn in the offseason, Durant went into 2021-22 expecting to have a full season alongside Harden and Irving. But that wasn't the case.
Irving was absent, then considered a "part-time" player for the Nets due to COVID-19 protocols for most of the season. Durant also dealt with a knee injury throughout the 2021-22 season, and the Nets had to play in the Play-In Tournament, securing the No. 7 seed with 44 wins. And at the trade deadline, Harden was sent to the 76ers, meaningĀ the Durant-Harden-Irving era in Brooklyn was over after the stars played in just 16 total games together.
In the playoffs, Brooklyn went on to be swept by the Celtics in the first round ā the first time in Irving and Durant's careers that happened to their team.
After trade buzz in the 2022 offseason, but more dysfunction in Brooklyn throughout 2022-23, the Nets wound up trading away both Durant and Irving ahead of the trade deadline.
Durant landed in Phoenix, with the hope that he could be the final piece alongside Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton after the Suns made the Finals in 2021. However, the Suns, after adding Durant mid-season and winning 45 games, would only win one playoff series.
Phoenix took down the Clippers in five games behind Booker and Durant, then fell in six games to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the second round.
Durant had his first full season in Phoenix in 2023-24, with Paul and Ayton no longer in the fold following the team's deal for Bradley Beal. But the Durant-Booker-Beal trio did not work out.
Phoenix won 49 games and Durant had a terrific season, averagingĀ 27.1 points per game, but the Suns proceeded to get swept by the Timberwolves in the first round ā the second time a Durant-led team was swept out of the playoffs in three years.
2024-25 Suns: Missed playoffs
Phoenix struggled in 2024-25, especially without Durant, going 3-17 in games he missed due to injuries. The Suns finished with 36 wins, missing the playoffs before significant changes came for the franchise.
2025-26 Rockets: TBD
Durant was traded to Houston last offseason as an offensive-minded veteran for a defensive-focused young core, also signing an extension with the Rockets.
With Durant playing in 78 regular-season games and as healthy as ever, Houston won 52 games as the Western Conference's No. 5 seed. However, with Durant dealing with a surprising knee injury as the first round began, the Rockets have been fending off elimination against the Lakers, now facing a 3-1 series deficit entering Game 5.
Should the Rockets fall to the Lakers, it would mark the third first-round exit for a Durant-led team since his Warriors exit, with no Conference Finals appearances in that span.
