Suns star Kevin Durant is reportedly on the trade block in Phoenix but the 14x All-Star is not open to going just anywhere. According to the latest intel from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Golden State Warriors have been in active discussions for a reunion with Kevin Durant this season but he has no desire to return to the team he won two titles with in 2017 and 2018.
“The Warriors have been seriously pursuing Kevin Durant over the last week, but sources tell me that Durant has no desire in a reunion with the Warriors,” said Shams.
“He does not want to go back to the Warriors where he won two championships, won two Finals MVPs. The Suns’ position in all of this has been to continue to build around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but due to their record, teams have been very aggressive in calling the Suns.
It’s unclear where these talks go between now and tomorrow’s deadline, but one thing is clear around the league right now and that’s Kevin Durant does not want to go back to the Warriors in any trade. So for the Warriors, do they continue this pursuit of Kevin Durant? Do they move on to a guy like Jimmy Butler who we’ve been discussing over the last couple of months? Is Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic a target as well? We’ll know in the next 24 hours.”
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, one of the reasons why Kevin Durant doesn’t want to return to the Golden State Warriors is because he doesn’t want to play alongside Draymond Green.
According to Brian Windhorst, Durant is now expected to either stay with the Suns or join the Heat in a potential trade for Jimmy Butler. The 2x Finals MVP has two years, and $105.8 million left on his deal.
It’s been reported that the Warriors are “desperate” to add a star around Stephen Curry and they’ve canvassed the league for any potential path to acquiring elite, superstar-level talent. At 10th in the West at 25-24, the Warriors are sitting far from a favorable position and this season could be over soon if they don’t act fast.
With the NBA’s trade deadline looming and the Suns treading water in the West, it’s no surprise that calls have started coming in for Kevin Durant and the Warriors have been among his most aggressive pursuers.
As a former Warriors for four years and a 2x champion with the organization, Kevin Durant would have been met with open arms and his return would have signaled another era of prosperity for the storied franchise. During his tenure with the team, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 52.4% shooting.
But Durant has seemingly rejected the trade and he’s making it clear to the NBA world that he wants no part of a return to the Warriors. Whether it’s something against the organization or simply a desire to remain in Phoenix, Durant has shut down the chance for a reunion with his former partner, Steph Curry.
It’s a crushing reality for the Warriors that, despite their recent success, they aren’t on the same level of recruiting stars as the Los Angeles Lakers, who just came off the biggest trade deal in NBA history. Now, unless they want an unhappy superstar, the Warriors will have to look elsewhere for their next star talent, to someone like Jimmy Butler or Paul George.
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