Stephen Curry has “no hard feelings, no resentment” toward Kevin Durant for not wanting to return to the Warriors, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
As Curry, Durant and LeBron James get ready to reunite at All-Star Weekend for the first time since the Summer Olympics, Youngmisuk examines the failed trade attempts that would have teamed up Curry and James last season and Curry and Durant a week ago. The latest deal was scuttled when Durant told Curry that it “didn’t feel right” and “wasn’t the time” for him to return to the Bay Area.
“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.”
Durant was reportedly blindsided by the proposed three-team deal, which also involved Jimmy Butler going from Miami to Phoenix. Durant hadn’t considered leaving the Suns, although his future appears less certain this summer as he heads into the final year of his contract.
Durant enjoyed the greatest success of his long career during his three seasons with Golden State, making three straight trips to the NBA Finals and earning Finals MVP honors as the Warriors won titles in 2017 and 2018.
However, there was a downside, as Durant was frequently criticized for leaving Oklahoma City in free agency in 2016 to sign with a Warriors team that was coming off a 73-win season. Durant also had a highly publicized on-court dispute with Draymond Green, and there were reports that he wasn’t fully happy sharing the spotlight with Curry. After suffering an Achilles tear during the 2019 Finals, Durant left Golden State to sign with Brooklyn.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he completely understands any reluctance Durant has to come back.
“I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here,” said Kerr, who also coached Durant in the Olympics. “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?”
Curry adds that he doesn’t expect things to be awkward “at all” with Durant when they get together this weekend. Instead of focusing on the decision to nix the trade, Curry wants to savor the time he gets to spend with Durant and James, recognizing that there won’t be many more opportunities as they all near the end of their careers.
Youngmisuk notes that things have turned out fine for the Warriors, who were able to acquire Butler directly from Miami when the Durant deal fell through. Golden State is 3-1 since Butler arrived, and Curry is confident that his team can handle anyone in a seven-game series.
“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, 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.”