With Rumors Swirling About A Potential Reunion, Kevin Durant Reportedly Has No Desire To Return To The Warriors

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While we all feverishly refresh our timelines waiting for the next big NBA trade to drop, one thing that has become unavoidable over the last 24-48 hours is the idea of a massive trade that ultimately would send Kevin Durant back to his old stomping grounds in the Bay. Based on the reporting, it would center around the idea of potentially sending KD to GS, someone like Andrew Wiggins ending up in MIA, and then Jimmy Butler getting what he wants and ending up in PHX.

I'm still not totally sure why the Suns would want to do something like that, because going from a trio of KD/Booker/Beal to Butler/Booker/Beal feels like a bit of a downgrade, but I suppose it all depends on what the return from GS would be. If they give every tradable player and every asset they have, maybe the Suns say screw it don't re-sign Butler, and just start their rebuild.

One thing we do know, however, is that according to Shams, Kevin Durant wants no part of a return to GS

I mean, could you blame him? Given how that partnership ended the first time, the whole Draymond angle, the reported issues with Kerr's system etc. The problem is, he doesn't possess a no-trade clause. If the Warriors are going to overpay and the Suns get an offer they can't refuse then that's how the cookie crumbles. The thing is, it doesn't sound like that's an option either

One important thing to remember when talking about any potential KD trade is his contract situation. He has just 1 more guaranteed year after this season before he hits UFA. At his age, unless you have complete sign off that he'll sign an extension, the price it's going to take to bring in someone like Durant is a huge risk, because he could very well leave for nothing after next season. Despite the Lakers getting an insane discount on Luka, that was the exception and not the rule in my opinion. It's going to take high salary player/players plus a boatload of picks to pull something like that off for KD, which as an aging (and very good!!) player makes you consider if the juice is worth the squeeze. 

I can understand if you're the Warriors trying to find every possible avenue to add around Steph Curry, especially if Jimmy Butler just tanked that whole trade idea a few days ago. There are only so many moves that are out there, and with LaVine off the table and Butler supposedly off the table, it's not as if there are a ton of options.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure as a fan I'd want to see KD back in GS. We saw that already, and honestly, it probably doesn't change much given what it would take to bring him in. It would add a certain level of juice to a potential PHX/GS Play In game, but that already exists with the teams as is. You don't need KD to swap sides for that game to be electric, plus as rough as things have been lately, the Suns technically are just 2.5 games out of a top 6 seed. Trading your best player at a time like this who doesn't want to leave seems like an odd move, but nothing in the NBA makes sense right now. That's the beauty of the chaos that comes with the NBA Trade Deadline.

My guess is Butler stays in MIA, Durant stays in PHX, and the Warriors end up trading for Vucevic or something from the Bulls.  Not as sexy and definitely not as chaotic, but given what all the reports are telling us right now that's probably where we end up.