Is there any reason to think that Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors will get back together during the offseason? Before joining the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in quest of another championship, Durant achieved the pinnacle of his career with the Dubs in the latter part of the 2010s, winning two NBA titles with the squad.
He has yet to complete that task, which fuels speculation that he and Stephen Curry may form a new partnership in the future.
Kevin Durant Back to the Golden State Warriors?
Recently, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes proposed a massive trade that would send Durant back to the Warriors by way of the Phoenix Suns. In that case, the Suns would get arguably the best scorer in NBA history in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“The Suns will push for an additional 2027 first-round pick, the only other one the Warriors can include, assuming this deal goes down on draft night. Meanwhile, the Dubs will try to swap in someone like Brandin Podziemski for Kuminga, whom the organization has labeled untouchable.
In addition to those negotiating sticking points, Golden State is still taking on about $3 million more in salary than is allowed—and that’s assuming it doesn’t include Kevon Looney’s non-guaranteed $8 million salary for 2024-25.
Put all those hangups aside and consider, though, that the Warriors are one of very few teams more tied to an immediate win-now timeline than the Suns. Stephen Curry has two more years on his deal, and it seems clear the organization is committed to surrounding him with a competitive team. Durant will turn 36 before next season starts and comes with health risks, but he’s probably the more valuable short-term contributor than Kuminga, Wiggins or Moody.”
The Suns have just concluded a season that began with such promise and ended disastrously. The Suns, who are also embarking on a new chapter with the hiring of Mike Budenholzer as Frank Vogel’s replacement, are currently under a lot of scrutiny. The Suns would have to do a massive task to trade Durant, but in exchange, Phoenix would receive younger players with whom to develop in the future and their costly salary would be reduced.
The former league Most Valuable Player averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists through 208 games in three seasons with the Warriors.
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