Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors emerged as two of the unlikely pairings in this season’s trade rumors.
Ahead of the trade deadline, it was revealed that the Phoenix Suns forward was subject of interest amongst several teams. And one intriguing club in that list was the Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors were considering trying to reignite their connection with Kevin Durant, who was their two-time Finals MVP from their 2017 and 2018 title wins.
Yet unfortunately, this desire by Golden State didn’t came to fruition, with Durant ending any ideas of a special reunion, in what could have been a last dance for him alongside Stephen Curry.
many fans were left intrigued about Durant’s possible reasons reluctance to return to the Bay Area, Stephen A. Smith meanwhile understands this decision by the 36-year-old.
NBA analyst Chris Broussard has been relaying what he has been hearing about Kevin Durant’s decision, and claims it is because he does not want to rekindle his ties with the Warriors because of Draymond Green.
In his appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the Fox Sports analyst and commentator revealed that although Durant managed to repair his relationship with Green, he is meanwhile unwilling to share the court with the fiery Warriors star again.
“What some people around the league are saying is Durant didn’t wanna go to Golden State because he didn’t wanna play with Draymond again,” Broussard said.
“Now from what I’ve told, they’ve rekindled their friendship. That’s fine, it’s just playing with Draymond.
“Draymond is always running his mouth, directing traffic, go here, go there, and a lot of guys don’t like that. Steph’s fine with it, he can play with it.
“A lot of guys get tired of that and I’m getting the impression from what I’m being told Durant doesn’t want to be directed and go here and go there, even though he and Draymond have made up and are friends.”
Green has established himself as one of the most polarizing personalities in the NBA due to his hard-nosed approach and fiery personality. And out of the multiple controversial experiences that he had that includes his infamous tussle with Jordan Poole, his altercation with Durant in 2018 also stands as a notable one.
Both Durant and Green notably went at it during a 2018-19 regular season game. During a close game that saw a heated exchange in team timeout, Green blatantly hurled an explicit tirade and ripped Durant by arguing that the Dubs don’t need him.
This escalation served as the perceived main reason for Durant to finally leave Golden State in the 2019 offseason by joining the Brooklyn Nets.
Broussard has one theory on how the Golden State Warriors could convince Kevin Durant to return.
“If I’m Golden State, I’m willing to move Draymond to get Kevin Durant,” he simply said.
Although the Warriors have since redirected themselves by obtaining Jimmy Butler, reducing the assets they could offer to Phoenix.
But certainly, Durant’s long-term future in Phoenix looks shaky amid a difficult season.
