Kevin Durant denied his Warrors legacy and turned down Steph Curry in process

The Golden State Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler on Wednesday night, thus putting an end to any attempt to acquire Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. Golden State was in search for another star to pair with Steph Curry, and he has a past relationship with Durant. After all, they won two NBA titles together.

Yet, trades aren't that simple in the NBA. Player empowerment is critical in this league and Durant is holding on to what is left of his. At 36 years old, KD is a surefire Basketball Hall of Famer who has just a few seasons left in the league. While it's surprising that Durant wouldn't want to play for a Warriors team hunting one last title, or an upstart Memphis Grizzlies group one piece away from their first, there's a very good chance Durant is comfortable in Phoenix. He is with the Suns for a reason, and Durant has earned that sort of say in his future.

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Warriors tried to trade for Durant as part of a three-team trade which would have sent Butler to Phoenix. However, Durant didn't have any interest in playing for the Warriors again, so Golden State made a hard pivot and added Butler instead.

Why did Kevin Durant turn down Steph Curry and the Warriors?

As for why Durant wouldn't want to play for the Warriors, your guess is a good as mine. Perhaps his last stint in the Bay area wasn't as rosy as it appeared on paper, or maybe Durant wasn't thrilled with the legacy he left behind in Golden State. Most reasonable pundits understand why KD chose the Warriors, but it's impossible to deny he took the easy way out. From a legacy perspective, Durant chose not to beat the superteam, but join them.

The lines are blurry, but Durant turning Curry down is the only real evidence we need to say once and for all that KD will not be a Warrior again. His legacy in Golden State has been set in stone, while it is still forming in Phoenix. The Suns locker room is a mess and they sit in 10th place in the West. The Warriors are 11th. The teams aren't all that different, and for Durant to pick up and leave a comfortable situation, the Warriors would've had to be in title contention themselves.

As of this writing, Golden State isn't one Durant away from the NBA Finals. Returning to Golden State had a chance to ruin his reputation there, rather than improve it.