While it was always going to be a long shot, the Golden State Warriors held out hope that a Kevin Durant reunion could come to fruition this summer.
Durant was a star with the Warriors for three seasons, winning two NBA championships before bolting for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
Steve Kerr made it known that the franchise pursued the two-time NBA Finals MVP before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, but a trade never materialized.
The offseason was supposed to give the Warriors, who experienced a second-round playoff exit this season, another opportunity to complete a deal for Durant.
However, the franchise received heartbreaking news on Sunday.
“The Phoenix Suns are trading two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, and five second-round picks,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday.
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Durant was likely more stressed out than ever during the 2024-25 campaign. The 37-year-old forward averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists with the Suns this season, shooting 52.7% from the field and 43.0% from three.
Still, the Suns, who formed a super team headlined by Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, failed to qualify for the Play-in-Tournament after finishing the regular season with a wildly disappointing 36-46 record.
After the franchise fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, it was almost a guarantee that Durant would be the next member of the franchise to receive the boot.
Unfortunately, the Dubs fell short in the Durant sweepstakes, but there’s still plenty of time for the storied Western Conference franchise to bolster their flawed roster before the start of the 2025-26 season.
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