The Golden State Warriors-Kevin Durant reunion speculation continues to brew despite no indication from the 14x All-Star that he's looking to move from the Phoenix Suns.
Regardless, the Suns' disappointing playoff exit, and the immovability of their asset-stricken roster, has led many to the belief that Durant, who would still hold considerable trade value, could be dealt this offseason.
The Golden State Warriors have been labelled as the best fit for Kevin Durant if the 35-year-old wishes to depart the Phoenix Suns
Any trade would likely be contingent on Durant pushing for the move, with reports from The Athletic that the 2x Finals MVP was unhappy and not comfortable with his role in the Suns' offense under Frank Vogel this season.
If Durant does seek a trade, the Warriors are likely to be right there as one of the teams in discussion. In fact, in a recent article looking at the best and worst landing spots for potential offseason trade targets, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley had Golden State as the ideal destination for Durant.
"Golden State has more flexibility and upside, not to mention an offensive system that has already fit him like a tailored suit. Plus, he should even be spared from bandwagon-jumping criticisms that echoed throughout his first tenure with the team. There isn't a bandwagon to hop onto in Northern California, where the Warriors just missed out on the playoffs for the third time in five seasons."Zach Buckley
From a purely basketball standpoint, Durant is undoubtedly a perfect fit, perhaps outside age which is no longer on his side. He's still one of the league's best players, and fits almost every void the Warriors currently have from an offensive standpoint.
The more interesting aspect may be the optics of Durant going back to Golden State. Buckley notes that he'd "be spared from bangwagon-jumping criticism" which may be right, but more of the judgement in recent years has come from the fact he left a near-perfect basketball situation in the Bay.
Returning to the Warriors would be seen as Durant admitting to that narrative, that he shouldn't have left the franchise in the first place. Is he going to be comfortable with that -- returning to a team that's still undoubtedly Stephen Curry's?
Of course, even if both Golden State and Durant were interested in a reunion, that would require the Suns to play ball which may be the most unlikely factor in the entire scenario. Not only would they be unwilling to help a direct pacific rival, but it's expected that other teams would be able to offer more than the Warriors.