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New Report Reveals Why Kevin Durant Didn’t Join Warriors at Trade Deadline

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 11:24 AM ET

The Golden State Warriors made a brilliant trade deadline move, going against suggestions and adding Jimmy Butler to the squad.

They made the surprising move -- landing Butler and extending him -- after it was expected the former Miami Heat star would land with the Phoenix Suns.

Instead of the Suns landing Butler, they instead re-routed their options and nearly traded Kevin Durant to the Warriors. A trade was nearly struck, though the 15-time All-Star didn't want to return to the Bay Area.

Stephen Curry and Butler created incredible chemistry early on, and Golden State hit incredible form before the NBA playoffs. Not trading for Durant seemed to work out fine for the Warriors.

Many speculated that Durant didn't want to return to Golden State because of his sour relationships on his way out of the franchise in 2019, or because of the way the training staff handled his injury during the NBA Finals.

The future Hall of Fame forward came out and said he didn't want to move mid-season without warning. There could be a deeper reason, however.

Durant might not have wanted to play for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr again, according to Logan Murdock.

“Durant’s exit from the Bay Area arguably had more to do with his issues with Steve Kerr than any shouting match with Green. Durant repeatedly complained both publicly and privately about Kerr’s offensive principles during his final season with the Warriors, and he continued to do so even after he left for Brooklyn," Murdock wrote. "The two have since reconciled, but league sources identify Kerr as among the reasons Durant opted not to return to Golden State at the trade deadline.”

Steve Kerr was reportedly one of the reasons Kevin Durant wasn’t interested in returning to Golden State, per @loganmmurdock

“Durant’s exit from the Bay Area arguably had more to do with his issues with Steve Kerr than any shouting match with Green. Durant repeatedly complained… pic.twitter.com/Zzri61Ruyn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 24, 2025

While many believed Durant left because of his mishandled injury and scuffle with Draymond Green -- his feelings toward Kerr had much more to do with his exit and reluctance to land with the team at the deadline this past season.

Now, the Warriors have Curry, Butler and Green leading the way, while the Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets for pennies on the dollar.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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