Report: Kevin Durant Told Stephen Curry ‘It Didn’t Feel Right’ And ‘This Wasn’t The Time’ To Play For Warriors Again

According to NBA insiders Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Kevin Durant told Stephen Curry it didn’t feel right and this wasn’t the time to play for the Golden State Warriors again. 

The Warriors tried to acquire Durant from the Phoenix Suns, but Durant didn’t want to play for Golden State again. 

“It was a lot to digest. So Durant and Curry discussed the idea on Saturday, hours before the poker tournament. Curry wanted to get a read on how Durant would feel about returning to the team he’d chosen to leave after the 2019 Finals, sources said,” Shelburne and Windhorst wrote. “Durant told him that it didn’t ‘feel right’ and that this ‘wasn’t the time’ to revisit their basketball partnership, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversations. That he was happy in Phoenix and wasn’t looking to play elsewhere.

“It was a soft ‘no,’ one that discouraged the Warriors’ decision-makers, but didn’t fully deter them from pursuing talks with the Suns. They hoped Durant’s feeling about a reunion might change once he learned the extent to which Phoenix had engaged in trade conversations with multiple teams without involving him.”

The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from the Heat after hearing that Durant didn’t want to play for them again. 

Meanwhile, the Suns kept Durant, who could request a trade in the offseason, an NBA source told Hoops Wire. 

Durant and Curry were teammates on the Warriors from 2016-17 to 2018-19. The two NBA legends led Golden State to two straight championships in 2017 and 2018, with Durant winning two Finals MVPs. 

In Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Durant tore his Achilles. The Warriors lost to the Raptors in six games and Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets in the offseason. 

Durant and Curry remain friends. They were teammates on Team USA and helped the United States win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. 

However, Durant had zero interest in returning to the Warriors.