It’s hard to decide which rumor was more brow-raising. The conversations that the Phoenix Suns were having with teams about trading Kevin Durant or the fact that the Golden State Warriors were one of his suitors. In the end, the 36-year-old wound up remaining in Phoenix. Nonetheless, the Suns ended up opening Pandora’s Box when their Durant-based conversations were leaked.
Now, the general consensus is that Durant is an offseason trade candidate. Furthermore, there are questions about his relationship with the Warriors. After all, he did decline an opportunity to play for the only team that he’s won NBA championships with.
Kevin Durant Reveals Real Reason He Refused Warriors Trade
Sitting down with ESPN reporter Malika Andrews, Durant spoke on these subjects and more in what was a wide-ranging interview.
“People talk crazy about me all the time,” Durant tells Andrews.
“That’s not the reason why I didn’t 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). 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 can do through the rest of the season, so I’m glad I’m still there.”
Durant’s comments have to be taken at face value simply because of his character.
Ironically, like Warriors forward Draymond Green, Durant has built a reputation as being outspoken. The manner in which he’s expressed his opinions in every medium suggests that he prefers not to mislead the people listening or reading. Thus, with Durant saying that his decision to refuse a trade to Golden State came down to the timing, there’s no reason to debate that.
Not in the least because he didn’t refute Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s suggestion that he faced unnecessary criticism. He didn’t even deny (or confirm) that he and Green might not be on the best of terms right now.
A Fluid Situation
With that in mind, Durant’s train back to The Bay may have already departed. After he refused to return to Golden State, the Warriors pivoted back to Jimmy Butler. Not only did they manage to acquire the star forward from the Miami Heat, they tacked an extra year onto his contract. More importantly, though it’s still early, they’ve gone 3-1 since his acquisition.
Still, Durant’s future in Phoenix isn’t set in stone either. Even he told Andrews that “when you pay so much for a team and we’re not playing up to our expectation, someone has to go.” His preference is clearly for the Suns to turn their regular season around or to at least go on a long playoff run. Nevertheless, with teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves pursuing him on the trade market, the Suns may eventually relent.
The Houston Rockets, who have multiple players that he’s bonded with, are a potential offseason destination for Durant as well.
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