The Golden State Warriors made a concerted effort to trade for Kevin Durant before the deadline, but the four-time scoring champ shot it down. He did not want to leave the Phoenix Suns midseason, even if it meant finishing the campaign on a sub-.500 team with zero chance of a deep playoffs run.
That said, Durant has very purposefully left the door open for a Warriors reunion in the offseason. He explained his thinking on a recent episode of Draymond Green's podcast, citing a desire to finish his career "on his own terms."
He claims it did not make sense for Golden State to gut its roster in the middle of the season. But, if an offseason trade opportunity arises, "then we figure it out."
“I didn’t want to move and I get why you want to trade me, simple fact that’s business but for me looking at it… we can play the season out and if that's the decision you want to make in the off-season then we figure it out”@KDtrey5 explains why he vetoed the Suns-Warriors… pic.twitter.com/1Gfa3uJKZN
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) February 26, 2025
Golden State did not sit idly after the KD trade fell through. The Warriors successfully pivoted to Jimmy Butler, and the early returns have been spectacular. Golden State is 7-1 with Butler in the lineup. The whole team has a fresh energy to it. Draymond Green looks happy. Steph is back to torching defenses off the ball. Butler's slashing and playmaking is the exact dynamic this offense was missing.
We shall see how it plays out over a long period of time, but there's reason to believe Golden State is a legitimate contender with Butler in the mix. Now, what if the Dubs can circle back and add Durant in the offseason?
It's not as impossible as you might think.
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This Warriors-Suns trade would reunite Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry in Golden State
Ideally, there'd be a path to add Durant next to Butler, but the Warriors are in a rather complicated cap situation. Jonathan Kuminga hits restricted free agency this summer; he can't be packaged with other players in a potential sign-and-trade. Kevon Looney, Gary Payton, and others are also coming off the books, which leaves Golden State without a ton of flexible salaries to match Durant's $51.1 million.
So, as painful as it may be, the Dubs would need to trade Jimmy Butler (and stuff) for Durant, which was pretty much the plan at the trade deadline. The original framework was reported to include Butler going to Phoenix as part of a multi-team effort to put Durant in Golden State. KD was, understandably, the Warriors' top priority.
Butler was quite adamant about wanting to join the Suns prior to the deadline. He worked industriously to plant that sentiment in every major media outlet. ESPN's Brian Windhorst even reported once upon a time that Butler told the Warriors he wouldn't sign an extension (he did).
It sure seems like Butler's opinion on the Dubs organization has changed in recent weeks, and he'd probably prefer to stay in Golden State over a move to Phoenix. If Durant is on the table, though, it's hard for the Warriors to pass up. There is built-in chemistry with Steph and Draymond; those guys know how to play off of one another. Steve Kerr's offense has never peaked higher than it did with Durant eight years ago.
The Warriors obviously can't expect another 73-win season with Durant, Curry, and Green all in the twilight of their careers, but they'd be a damn hard team to guard. Phoenix, meanwhile, gets more young talent to fuel its retool, with Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody joining Butler in the desert.
It's worth considering for both sides. The Warriors are clearly relishing the Butler experience, but Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant. They know that as well as any team.