Many were optimistic that Kevin Durant would force his way to the Golden State Warriors before the 2024-25 season’s Feb. 6 trade deadline.
The 15-time All-Star was linked to the Dubs on multiple occasions, but ultimately remained with the Phoenix Suns until the franchise traded him to the Houston Rockets early in the offseason.
Last Tuesday, the Warriors received deflating news regarding Durant’s feelings toward a mid-season return to his second NBA home.
“Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship, me and the Phoenix Suns,” Durant said during the Sep. 16 Game Plan Sports Business Summit.
“And to hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting, but that’s just the name of the game. So I got over that quickly and was trying to figure out what the next steps were.”
“I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline, but that’s when Rich (Kleiman) came into play, and those relationships that we built around the league and also playing in Golden State helped. We were able to tell them to kind of hold off on that.”
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Although Golden State ultimately landed Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat on Feb. 5, there’s no question it missed out on an opportunity to take its championship odds to the next level.
Durant helped the Warriors bounce back from a devastating 2016 NBA Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, guiding the organization to back-to-back titles.
With Durant and Stephen Curry proving they’re still elite scorers and crunch time playmakers in the late 30s, who’s to say they couldn’t have made another deep postseason run alongside each other in the Bay?
As long as Curry sticks around, though, the Dubs will always have a chance to do something special in the playoffs.
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