Kevin Durant was back in the Bay Area for All-Star weekend less than a fortnight after rejecting a blockbuster reunion with the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors reportedly had a deal in place to reunite with the 2x Finals MVP, only to turn their attention to Jimmy Butler once Durant signalled his disapproval of a trade to the Bay.
Kevin Durant has left the door ajar of a return to the Warriors
Following the report of Durant's decision not to re-join Golden State, speculation flew on why exactly that may have been the case. Many looked at his relationship with Draymond Green and how things initially ended in 2019, along with his relationship with Steve Kerr and others in the organization.
Now Durant has lifted the lid on the real reason behind his decision, telling ESPN's Malika Andrews that he simply didn't want to get traded from the Suns mid-season.
"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," Durant said. "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."
So Durant certainly hasn't categorically ruled out a return someday, but for now it was more about his current situation than anything to do with the Warriors. It will now be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out, and subsequently how Durant may feel in the offseason when he has more time to digest and think about his situation and the fact the Suns were seemingly willing to move him.
Phoenix are in a disastrous spot right now, sitting at 26-28 and 11th in the Western Conference despite holding the league's highest payroll led by the superstar duo of Durant and Devin Booker.
The Suns are 1.5 games back from the Warriors, but the latter are trending up after their trade for Jimmy Butler following weeks where he desired to head to the Valley. In the end Phoenix's lack of flexibility -- and most notably Bradley Beal's no-trade clause -- prevented them from getting Butler to the point where they were open to moving Durant in order to make it happen.
It turns out Durant may have done the Warriors a favor, with the franchise having acquired Butler while retaining Jonathan Kuminga and the raft of future draft capital that they otherwise would have had to give up in a deal for their former superstar.