Kevin Durant nearly found himself back in a Golden State Warriors uniform last season, but according to the man himself, he shut the door on that reunion long before it could happen. In the new season of Starting 5, Durant opened up about what really went down during the 2025 trade deadline and why he pushed back against the idea of a return to the Bay.
“I’m hearing real people that I respect and are credible in this business telling me that this s**t about to go down. So I’m like on the phone, I was heavy that whole time, I was like no f***ing way they trying to do this s**t behind my back. And they ain’t say nothing to me.”
“I said, oh that’s fucked up. I understand the business, I know I’m the guy, if s**t was going south, I’d be the easiest to trade, you know what I’m saying? But don’t send me to the Warriors, that’s what I was telling them. I know they gotta trade me, like make it somewhere else but the Warriors.”
“It’s not because I don’t want to go back to the storyline, but I don’t want to go and gut the whole team. I’m like, first of all, I don’t even want to get traded, because it’s gonna be a lot of bulls**t. I’ll take the whole team away from the next team I’m going to, deplete them from everything they got just so I can fit in there.”
“And I’m like, I’m not trying to go through that s**t again, you know what I’m saying? Especially with the Warriors, because I’m like, I don’t want to go into that situation like that.”
“I just told the Warriors, I told Steph, I don’t think it’s a smart move for either one of us. Basketball-wise, just let us play the year out. And I think that’s what stopped the trade more so than anything. But they were still listening to other teams, just trying to get a gauge on what I may cost.”
Rumors of a massive three-team trade involving Durant surfaced in early February, one that would have sent him to Golden State, Jimmy Butler to Phoenix, and draft compensation to Miami. The deal reportedly had support from executives across the league, and on paper, it made sense for all sides. But for Durant, the idea of returning to his old team didn’t sit right.
Kevin Durant’s reasoning went deeper than just optics. The 36-year-old forward made it clear that he didn’t want to join a situation that would require tearing apart a team’s roster just to fit him in. His previous experience with midseason trades, especially after leaving Brooklyn, had shown him how disruptive those moves could be for team chemistry.
While Durant didn’t explicitly mention it, reports have long suggested that his reluctance to return also stemmed from lingering philosophical differences with Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
During his final season in Golden State, Durant often clashed with Kerr over the team’s free-flowing, ball-movement-heavy offense, a system that limited some of the isolation scoring that defines Durant’s game.
Despite the rumors and internal talks between executives, the trade never materialized. The Warriors eventually pivoted and traded for Jimmy Butler instead, while the Suns restructured their roster around Devin Booker and new additions. Durant, meanwhile, stayed put until the offseason, when Phoenix eventually sent him to the Houston Rockets in a separate blockbuster deal.
In hindsight, Kevin Durant’s decision not to rejoin Golden State wasn’t about bitterness or nostalgia. It was about control, the chance to choose his own basketball path rather than relive an old one.
