Everyone seemed to be ready to move Kevin Durant from Phoenix back to Golden State, except for one person, the player himself. Apparently, the veteran forward wasn’t too excited about being traded out from the Suns squad, especially about the idea of returning to a place where he conquered two NBA titles.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today, the 15-time All-Star admitted that he was the one that prevent that negotiations from going further. KD addressed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s remarks that he didn’t want to return to San Francisco due to the criticisms he faced over those three seasons.
“People talk crazy about me all the time. That’s not the reason why I didn’t want to come back, I just didn’t want to get traded midway through the season. It was nothing against my time with the Warriors, or I heard it was because I don’t like Draymond [Green].
Wow: the Warriors proposed sending Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, 1st-round picks, 2nd-round picks, and pick swaps to the Suns for Kevin Durant.
The trade fell through when KD showed zero interest in returning to the Warriors. (via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/4DWVBUayaG
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 7, 2025
“At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to move, and I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we could do for the rest of the season,” the 36-year-old explained this week. “So I’m glad I’m still there.”
The Suns haven’t been performing up to the expectations, as the owners have invested heavily in turning them into a title-contending squad. Phoenix is currently ranking 11th in the Western Conference with a 26-28 mark, and weren’t able to make a major addition during the trade market.
Even though Durant was able to reject this trade before the deadline, reports close to the club suggest that he is now a candidate to leave Arizona during the summer. The veteran also addressed these rumors during the ESPN interview, admitting that this is a possibility because the NBA is a business.
“You gotta ask the front office about that,” the superstar started out. “I never planned on leaving, I didn’t ask for a trade from Phoenix. But obviously, when you pay so much for a team and we’re not playing up to our expectation, somebody has to go.”
