Kevin Durant reveals why he didn’t want to get traded back to Golden State

Kevin Durant reveals why he didn’t want to get traded back to Golden State

The Golden State Warriors were desperate to add another star alongside Stephen Curry ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. At one point, they were “serious” about a possible reunion with Kevin Durant, who helped the franchise win two NBA Titles from 2016-19.

The 15-time All-Star ultimately shut down the idea with roughly 24 hours left in the deadline. The 18-year superstar revealed that it had nothing to do with the past, he revealed in a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews recently:

“I just didn’t want to get traded midway through the season,” Durant told Andrews. “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.

“We expect a lot out of ourselves individually and it just hasn’t materialized the way we want it to. I know it’s disappointing to see us play this way. Our fans and people watching the game want more from us but you can’t think about it. We’ve got to think about the day ahead of us and trying to get better and figure out how we’re going to win the next game.”

Golden State ultimately landed their star, pivoting to Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler, who was disgruntled after not receiving a contract extension last offseason. It traded Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III in the five-team deal to acquire Butler, who immediately signed a two-year max extension north of $110 million.

Durant, 36, is in the penultimate year of a four-year max contract. It hasn’t worked in Phoenix, and one could assume that he will be the first player on the move if there is a big shift in direction. A midseason trade is always tough on the player, but it’s nothing that Durant hasn’t experienced before.

Kevin Durant on trade rumors: ‘Even if I’m blindsided or not, it doesn’t matter’

The Suns, at 26-28, are currently 1.5 games back of Golden State and Sacramento for the final play-in spots in the West. They were able to make marginal upgrades at the deadline with Nick Richards, Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic, but none of them have been consequential in the team’s performances yet.

What do you think Durant’s future looks like? Let us know in the comments!

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