Suns’ Kevin Durant does not want to play for Warriors

Trade talks around sending Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns to the Golden State Warriors had picked up steam over the last 24 hours, but that momentum has halted.

Durant does not want to reunite with the Warriors, nor does he want to be traded at all, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported on Wednesday.

Because of that, Gambadoro reported it is “highly unlikely” the Suns trade Durant to the Warriors, thus washing away the rapidly spreading trade smoke between the two sides.

Here is the latest. It is highly unlikely now that the Suns will trade Kevin Durant to Golden State. KD does not want to play for the Warriors he wants to stay in Phoenix. This trade had a lot of momentum in the last 24 hours but that momentum is lost.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 5, 2025

Teams have been aggressively calling the Suns about Durant, who at 36 years old is under contract for $54.7 million in 2025-26.

Durant spent three seasons with Golden State from 2016-19. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards but faced criticism for joining a team that eliminated his Oklahoma City Thunder before he signed.

NBA Insider Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line Substack, “It is believed that Durant has some serious reservations about a second Warriors stint if he were to be shipped there.”

Durant does not have a no-trade clause, but NBA insider Chris Haynes posted the Warriors do not want to add a disgruntled star.

Gambadoro previously reported there was “definitely a possibility” the Suns could deal Durant and acquire Jimmy Butler, the disgruntled Miami Heat star whom the Suns have had interest in acquiring to pair with Durant and Devin Booker. Moving Bradley Beal in order to add Butler has proven to be problematic given the former’s no-trade clause.

That roadblock, along with the continued scuffling on the court from Phoenix at 25-24, has led to the Durant trade discussions.

Gambadoro and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst both suggested the Heat are a possibility to add Durant, with Windhorst pointing out that other teams could enter negotiations after seeing the Warriors’ talks fizzle out. Miami was not previously considered a threat to trade for Durant.

The trade deadline is Thursday at 1 p.m. MST, and there are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to the Suns in the final 24 hours.

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