Rockets’ Kevin Durant shrugs off burner talk and lets the speculation hang

Kevin Durant knows how this works. He has lived it before.

The Rockets star forward became part of the All-Star weekend conversation for reasons that had nothing to do with basketball, after accusations surfaced that he was using a burner account on Twitter to criticize teammates, including Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.

When Houston returned to practice Wednesday, Durant was asked about it. He did not take the bait.

“I know you got to ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant said, via Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko. “My teammates know what it is. We’ve been locked in the whole season.”

That response does a few things. It shuts down the podium portion of the discussion. It signals internal confidence. And it leaves the rest hanging.

Durant did not deny the account was his. He did not confirm it, either. He simply moved on.

From a basketball standpoint, that is defensible. This is not something that needs to be litigated publicly. If there is friction, it can be handled in the locker room. Quietly. Professionally.

But this is also Durant. History applies. When the door is left even slightly open, speculation walks right in.

Durant knows that too. He just decided he was done talking about it anyway.