The real reason Golden State Warriors didn’t trade for Durant

Few people will be surprised that when Kevin Durant announced he was ready for a trade — Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors perked up.

As Curry told Rolling Stone in an interview for their October cover, the prospect of playing with Durant again is a no-brainer.

"“Hell yeah!”Stephen Curry on if he’d like to play with Kevin Durant again (Rolling Stone)"

If Curry and the Dubs were so enthused, why is Durant still in Brooklyn? Why was a serious offer never made?

The answer to that is almost as obvious as the initial question.

For Curry, reuniting with Durant would be an easy decision — if it meant keeping the Warriors’ core intact, too.

"“What does it look like? You tell me I’m playing with [current Warriors teammates Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green], I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah!’”"

Later in the story, a retold conversation between Curry and… Snoop Dogg, further explains the reasoning behind Durant’s failed trade request.

"“Man, he (Durant) thinks that they’re gonna go to teams — like if he went to Phoenix — that they’re gonna be the same team if he’s there.”"

This dilemma, of course, is at the root of why the Dubs did not dip their toes in the short-lived KD trade saga.

Blowing up a roster for a superstar is never as easy as it seems. While success stories such as Kawhi Leonard’s brief time in Toronto are the ones everyone remembers — there are more Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn scenarios that we’d like to forget.

Now, the likelihood of Durant propelling the Dubs to another title is pretty high. After all, he’s done it twice already and is still firmly in the midst of his prime.

Perhaps if the Warriors hadn’t quite literally just won a championship, this would have been more of a discussion. But with a title-winning core ready to run it back, why would they tinker with that?

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors were thrilled at the idea of adding Kevin Durant again — but not at the cost of trading for him.

The same goes for teams like Phoenix and Boston. Though they fell short of their goal — they’re still knocking at the door. Detonating a successful roster for a player who doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to loyalty is a tough sell.

Above all else, the NBA is wide open. For the most part, a championship season is just one cinderella run away for numerous teams in a league that is more balanced than ever.

Under different circumstances and with a higher sense of desperation, Durant might be in Golden State. But with no urgency? The Dubs will comfortably stick to their guns.