SI

NBA Insider Says Kevin Durant Has 'Serious Reservations' About Joining Warriors Again

While Durant to the Warriors is a hot deadline trade rumor, a new report indicates that Durant may not actually want to play in Golden State for a second time.

Mike McDaniel

Could Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant be on the move at the trade deadline?
Could Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant be on the move at the trade deadline? / Soobum Im-Imagn Images
In this story:

While reports continue to indicate that Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant could be moved ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, there could be one spot that the Suns star is not interested in being traded to—and it happens to be the destination that is running hottest on the rumor scale.

The Golden State Warriors.

According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Durant reportedly has "reservations" about joining the Warriors for a second stint.

"It is believed that Durant has some serious reservations about a second Warriors stint if he were to be shipped there," Stein wrote in his newsletter.

On the heels of Stein's report on Wednesday afternoon, ESPN's Shams Charania echoed similar sentiment, as he reported that Durant has "no desire for a reunion and does not want to go back to the Warriors."

If this is true, that could certainly complicate matters in a Durant trade. The end of Durant's tenure in Golden State was rocky due to the team's injury management of the superstar, which ultimately ended in a torn Achilles tendon for Durant that cost him his entire first season with the Brooklyn Nets.

If there are lingering bad feelings there, perhaps Durant could be shipped elsewhere or could remain in Phoenix. While teams across the league have checked in on Durant's availability, the Warriors rumor is the most popular one ahead of Thursday.

Time will tell if Durant will be on the move once again.

More of the Latest Around the NBA

feed

Published
Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.

Home/NBA