The Golden State Warriors are rumored to be interested in acquiring disgruntled Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, but it does not appear that a reunion is in the cards.
In a previous report, the Warriors are not the type of team that would meet Brooklyn’s steep asking price.
‘With that said, according to multiple sources in the Warriors organization, a reunion is highly unlikely,’ Thompson wrote. ‘Nothing about the last three years suggests the Warriors would be willing to pay the price for a KD return.’’
Durant signed with the Warriors in 2016 and sent shockwaves through the NBA. His addition to a core that included Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green created a juggernaut the rest of the league could not keep up with.
Golden State won two titles in Durant’s three years on the team, though his torn Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals derailed the Warriors’ chances of a three-peat. Durant became a free agent that summer and chose to sign with the Nets, which hasn’t played out the way he expected.
The Boston Celtics, the Eastern Conference’s representative in the Finals, swept Brooklyn out of the playoffs this season. Golden State defeated Boston for the team’s fourth title in eight years.
Durant requested to be traded from the Nets last week in another shocking move. Star point guard Kyrie Irving is also likely to be dealt this offseason as well.
Thompson noted that while a trade for Durant is unlikely, the Warriors’ locker room leaders would welcome him back to the team if given the opportunity “for the same reason they embraced him in 2016.” He revealed that Durant has already been in contact with some of his old teammates.
“The Warriors superstars have been in conversations with Durant,” Thompson wrote. “In addition to catching up, the Hall of Fame-bound peers did entertain the idea of a reunion. It was mostly about the stunning nature of it even being possible.”
While a Durant trade is the most highly anticipated event of the NBA offseason, it likely will not happen anytime soon.
According to a report on Sunday “no traction” on any trades involving Durant and the Nets will take their time to find the right deal.
Nonetheless, Durant is still one of the biggest difference-makers in the NBA when he plays. The 12-time All-Star averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 55 starts for the Nets in 2021-22.
There is certainly no harm in the Warriors kicking the tires on bringing back a player who was named NBA Finals MVP in his first two seasons with the organization. It would be bad business if Myers were not calling the Nets to engage their interest.