As the Golden State Warriors prepare for an offseason that's all but certain to bring about necessary change, a second run with Kevin Durant is at least worth exploring. The two sides won a pair of championships together, and Durant himself confirmed that Golden State pursued a reunion ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.
Following yet another bizarre twist in Durant's Houston Rockets career, it appears as though a reunion with the Warriors is more realistic than perhaps ever before.
Durant and the Rockets have endured a polarizing saga marred by rumors of harmful social media activity and general underperformance. Durant has played well individually, but a postseason injury and a 3-0 series deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers have caused many to question if Durant's tenure will last but one season.
That growing narrative took a turn for the strange when Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that Rockets teammate Amen Thompson offered a surprising answer of, "I don't know," to a question about how Durant is feeling during his current injury recovery.
Dave McMenamin says Amen Thompson has no idea how Kevin Durant is feeling:
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 26, 2026
"Amen Thompson was asked how KD was feeling and he said 'To be honest with you, I don't know.' Whether that means KD has been doing all of his rehab away from the team or the team hasn't been checking in… pic.twitter.com/EnfRl1VIF3
Perhaps it's much ado about nothing, but one can't help but question if this is yet another sign that Durant's Rockets tenure will end this coming summer. If it does, the Warriors could have a chance to swoop in and trade for him.
ESPN report implies division between Kevin Durant, Rockets
Durant signed a two-year, $90 million extension that will see him make $43,902,439 during the 2026-27 season. In a vacuum, that's a fairly attainable figure as far as structuring a trade is concerned, which makes this a deal the Warriors could realistically pursue.
The logistics of doing so are complicated, however, by the fact that Jimmy Butler is recovering from a torn ACL and the Rockets could thus be averse to trading for him. Golden State's limited number of big contracts to include in a deal could thus become a hurdle.
Other methods of completing a trade would effectively deplete Golden State of its few young pieces. As such, the most realistic outcome would likely depend on including a third team to get a move over the finish line.
In the event that the Warriors manage to complete a deal, they'd effectively be hoping that Stephen Curry and Durant could rediscover the magic that saw them win back-to-back championships.
The downside may be age and injury concerns, but the upside is that both continue to perform at superstar-caliber levels. In 2025-26, the 37-year-old Durant averaged 25.6 points on .520/.413/.874 shooting, while the 38-year-old Curry posted 26.6 points on .468/.393/.923 shooting.
If the Rockets ultimately go home and Durant's apparent tension with Houston leads to a trade, perhaps a Warriors reunion could be realistic after all.
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