Not even Draymond Green crying from a parking lot can sell Kevin Durant on Warriors reunion
By Scott Rogust
With the NBA trade deadline approaching on Thursday, Feb. 6, fans are waiting to see if there will be any other blockbuster transactions. Sure, nothing will get close to the levels of shock of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, but you can't count out chaos from taking place at the trade deadline.
Recent buzz has had the Golden State Warriors pursuing a reunion with Kevin Durant, who is currently on the Phoenix Suns. While the Suns are looking to acquire Jimmy Butler, they are at a standstill with the Miami Heat, due in part to Bradley Beal holding a no-trade clause. But moving on from Durant would be quite the pivot, especially if they were to move him to the Warriors.
Well, we now have to pump the brakes on that talk.
During an appearance on ESPN's "NBA Today," NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that Durant has "no desire" to return to the Warriors and "has no desire to go back."
As Golden State pursues Phoenix's Kevin Durant, the two-time Warriors NBA Finals MVP has no desire in a reunion and does not want to go back. Reporting for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/tNeTzw2gCf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025
Kevin Durant has 'no desire' in reunion with Warriors
It really is as simple as that. Durant just doesn't want to go back to Golden State. It's as simple as that.
The th9ing is, Durant doesn't hold a no-trade clause on his current contract, so the Suns could trade him if they want to. The thing is, the Warriors would have to feel compelled enough to make the trade. NBA insider Chris Haynes said as much, saying the Warriors "do not want to bring in a disgruntled superstar."
Kevin Durant doesn’t have a no-trade clause but the Golden State Warriors do not want to bring in a disgruntled superstar. An organization desperate to pair Stephen Curry with a peer of his caliber is running out of options.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 5, 2025
Durant was with the Warriors for three seasons, where he made it to the NBA Finals each year. Despite that and winning the NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP twice, Durant wanted to test free agency in 2019. Yes, there was the argument with Draymond Green that season, but Durant stressed that he just wanted to take on a new challenge elsewhere.
The Warriors are looking to bring in a superstar to pair with Stephen Curry. This has been the case since the summer, but have yet to bring one in. The pressure is on, as Curry is only under contract for one more season before hitting free agency.
As Charania openly asked during his appearance on "NBA Today," do the Warriors pivot to acquiring Butler or Nikola Vucevic. The thing with Butler is, he turned down a contract extension with the Warriors in trade talks, and thus the negotiations between both teams stalled, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Based on the reporting, don't expect the Warriors to reunite with Durant, because the superstar simply doesn't want it to happen.
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