Kevin Durant intervened to halt a trade that would have sent him to the Golden State Warriors, Jimmy Butler to the Phoenix Suns, and Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat.
There was a deal in place that would have sent Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors, Jimmy Butler to the Phoenix Suns, and Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Kevin Durant
| Team: |
Phoenix Suns |
| Position: | PF |
| Age: | 36 |
| Height: | 211 cm |
| Weight: | 109 kg |
| Birth place: | Washington, United States of America |
However, Durant stepped in to halt the deal, expressing his reluctance to reunite with the Warriors.
"Durant stepped up and made it no. He did not want a reunion," Windhorst reported on ESPN's Get Up show.
The trade would have brought Butler to Phoenix along with additional assets, while the Warriors were prepared to go all-in for Durant. Earlier reports from Shams Charania of ESPN indicated that Durant had no interest in rejoining the Warriors.
The Warriors reportedly misjudged Durant's feelings toward the organization. Even a conversation between Stephen Curry and Durant left Curry believing that a reunion was unlikely, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
"At some point in the last several days, Stephen Curry had a conversation with Kevin Durant that convinced him a reunion was extremely unlikely, no matter how much the Golden State Warriors ownership group and front office collectively 'underestimated' Durant's coldness toward a return, as one team source put it," Slater reported.
Ultimately, Butler was traded to the Warriors, where he signed a two-year deal.
In exchange for Butler, the Warriors sent Wiggins to the Heat, Denis Schroder to the Utah Jazz, Kyle Anderson to the Toronto Raptors, and a protected first-round pick.
The Detroit Pistons were also involved in the trade, receiving Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson.
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