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Kevin Durant reportedly discussed a potential reunion with the Golden State Warriors on the trade market with Stephen Curry before turning down the change of scenery.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, Durant and Curry discussed teaming up on Feb. 1 after the Warriors were “deep into negotiations” with the Phoenix Suns involving the star forward.
“Durant told him that it didn’t ‘feel right’ and that this ‘wasn’t the time’ to revisit their basketball partnership, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversations,” Shelburne and Windhorst wrote. “That he was happy in Phoenix and wasn’t looking to play elsewhere.”
The Suns ultimately retained Durant through Thursday’s trade deadline.
As for the Warriors, they quickly pivoted after missing out on the 15-time All-Star.
Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in a massive five-team trade on Wednesday.
The Warriors subsequently handed Butler a new two-year extension worth $121 million, keeping him with the team through the 2026-27 season.
Windhorst and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that an initial deal was discussed involving Butler landing in Phoenix and Durant coming to Golden State before the former MVP informed the Suns that he didn’t want to return to his old stomping grounds.
Curry and Durant were dominant throughout their three-year partnership on the Warriors from the 2016-17 season through the 2018-19 season. They made NBA Finals appearances in every year as teammates, winning two championships before Durant left to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
While Curry and Durant have remained two of the NBA’s top offensive players, the struggles of their respective teams to open the 2024-25 season resulted in the reunion proposal.
Curry is averaging 22.7 points and 6.1 assists while hitting 38.9 percent of his 10.9 three-point attempts per game, but Golden State owns a mere 25-26 record.
Durant’s average of 26.9 points per game ranks No. 6 in the NBA, and he has continued to operate as an efficient three-level scorer, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from behind the arc.
Phoenix only sits at No. 9 in the Western Conference standings with a 25-25 record, though.
While a trade to reunite the two stars on the Warriors would have sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, Durant reportedly told Curry that he wanted to stay put on the Suns.
