By Sam Amick and Anthony Slater
So much for the reunion between Kevin Durant and the Warriors.
After days of conversations between the Warriors’ and Suns’ decision-makers, Golden State has decided to move on from their pursuit of Durant, the 36-year-old former MVP, team sources confirm.
The Warriors were willing to part with a substantial package to chase down Durant and, if the Suns agreed, could’ve done so without his consent. It might’ve happened if Durant was semi-open or neutral to another partnership with the franchise he once helped win two titles. But Durant was cold to the idea of rejoining the Warriors and, having dealt with an unhappy Durant before, the Warriors are opting against a repeat.
This is the latest in what has been a string of high-profile misses for the Warriors’ front office in pursuit of a higher level co-star next to Steph Curry. They had Paul George willing to join them this past summer, but couldn’t strike a sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers in time. They negotiated with the Jazz on a possible Lauri Markkanen deal, but felt the price tag too steep. They bounced around the Zach LaVine idea, but let that option pass last week in favor of chasing bigger names.
It remains to be seen whether Golden State jumps back in the Jimmy Butler mix. Butler, like Durant, has also made it clear that he doesn’t want to land with the Warriors. The Heat star is hell-bent on heading to Phoenix, where Suns owner Mat Ishbia is known to be willing to give the 35-year-old the extension he so desires.
If the Warriors don’t land Butler or shock the NBA world by prying a co-star from elsewhere across the landscape, they are expected to move onto secondary pursuits like Nikola Vučević and Brandon Ingram. One team source described them as still “determined” to get something done prior to Thursday’s deadline.
