Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant suddenly found himself thrust into the thick of trade rumors around the trade deadline. Despite the heavy speculation that the struggling Suns would deal Durant elsewhere, he ended up remaining with the Suns past the deadline.
Kevin Durant shut down Warriors trade near the deadline
The Golden State Warriors were one of the teams that were interested in him, but Durant himself shut it down before anything could materialize. The superstar revealed on ESPN’s NBA Today that the reason for shutting down a reunion had nothing to do with the franchise itself.
“People talk crazy about me all the time. That’s not the reason why I didn’t want to come back, I just didn’t want to get traded midway through the season,” Durant said. “It was nothing against my time with the Warriors, or I heard it was because I don’t like Draymond [Green]. At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to move, and I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we could do for the rest of the season.”
Durant had spent three seasons with Golden State from 2016-19 after signing with them in his free agency. He won two championships with the Warriors and was named Finals MVP both times as well.
The Warriors quickly pivoted following Durant’s desire to stay in Phoenix
Unlike when he first joined the Warriors, Durant would have joined a team that was not nearly as potent as they were nearly a decade ago. However, adding Durant would have made Golden State a true threat in the Western Conference, as he is still one of the top players in the league despite being 36-years-old.
This year with the Suns, Durant is averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. However, the Suns have struggled this season and are currently 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 26-28 record, which would explain the trade rumors.
Instead of bringing in Durant, the Warriors quickly pivoted to acquiring Jimmy Butler III from the Miami Heat and subsequently signing him to a two-year, $121 million extension to keep him in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future. The Warriors are 3-1 since acquiring Butler III as they look to rebound after hitting a wall following their hot start to the season.
While a Durant and Warriors reunion would have been fun for nostalgia purposes, fans will have to wait until the offseason for anything serious to potentially materialize.