Durant Delivers A Death Blow! Curry and Kerr React to Kevin Durant Brutal Rejection of Warrior’s Reunion

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr aren’t taking Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant’s declining to reunite personally. After a reported trade that would have reunited the 2018 Finals MVP with his former coach and starting point guard collapse, Durant discussed the failed deal with the Warriors.

Kerr and Curry responded to those comments, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.

“You need everybody to be all bought in no matter what the history you have,” Curry said. “And I respect KD. It’s all about having peace of mind and happiness.

“Neither one of us controlled that [trade] situation. It’s just you want to make sure somebody wants to be somewhere. Other than that, I’m not trying to convince anybody to be somewhere they don’t want to be.”

Curry has “no hard feelings, no resentment” at all. At the same time, his head coach, Kerr, feels the same, considering the criticism Durant faced when he joined Golden State in 2016.

“I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here,” Kerr said. “He took so much s*** for like, ‘Oh, you’re jumping on the bandwagon’ [when he signed with Golden State as a free agent in 2016]. And then he’s Finals MVP two years in a row. It’s like he still gets criticized.

“So why would he want to face all that B.S. again?”

In the end, the Warriors landed Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline, a move that Steve Kerr believes is most likely best for all parties.

“I think it all worked out as it probably was supposed to,” Kerr said. “For Jimmy, it’s a fresh start. For us, it’s a different vibe, [a] different look. Kevin didn’t feel [a reunion], so it wouldn’t have been healthy for him to come here or for us if he didn’t want to be here.

“Obviously, we would’ve been thrilled with either one of them. But I think it all worked out as it was supposed to.”

Kevin Durant breaks silence on near trade to Warriors

Suns All-Star Kevin Durant hadn’t requested a trade before the NBA trade deadline. He plans to see things through with the Suns.

“I always had a goal of playing my contract out and seeing what happens. I can’t focus on a year and a half down the line; I try to focus on the day ahead of me,” Durant said. “I know that’ll be a topic.”

Durant will reunite with Stephen Curry at the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.