While some Warriors fans don’t believe the team should retire Kevin Durant’s number, two former Golden State players want his jersey raised to the rafters at Chase Center.
The NBA as #ThisLeague struck again on Thursday.
Hours before free agency was set to begin, former Warriors star and current Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported, citing sources.
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Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported that the Suns are among a preferred destination for KD, while ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added that the Heat are also on the list.
But as Wojnarowski notes, with four years left on Durant's contract the Nets likely will trade him to the highest bidder and pay little attention to Durant's desires. However, a reunion with Golden State still remains extremely unlikely, as last week The Athletic's Sam Amick reported that a potential deal was a "non-starter."
Durant's discontent in Brooklyn likely is due to multiple reasons, from the saga surrounding Kyrie Irving's vaccination status and general availability to the failed partnership with James Harden (who since was traded for Ben Simmons) to the results on the court -- only one playoff series win since he joined the team.
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Meanwhile, after two seasons out of the playoffs since KD's departure, Durant's former Warriors teammates went on to win the 2022 NBA Finals without him, with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green earning their fourth rings.
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After the championship, Green explained to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill what it meant to win without Durant.
“Of course,” Green told Goodwill. “There’s always things you want to prove. Ultimately, when Kevin came here, the main person who has to sign off on that is Steph. So to open your door, to open your arms and accept someone with open arms, and it goes great and it’s short-lived, it’s a slap in the face.”
Green retracted.
“Not necessarily a slap in the face, when someone chooses to do something else. But a slap in the face like, I opened my home to you. I brought you into this. I made you a part of this. I wanted you to be a part of this until we couldn’t do it no more. Then when you wanna do something else. No hard feelings, no ill will, want you to do great no matter what. It’s a brotherhood.
“But … you’re a competitor and the competitor in you is going to want to prove you wrong, want to show you that you made a mistake.”
Durant announced his intention to sign with the Nets on June 30, 2019. Three years later to the day, he wants out of Brooklyn, with the Warriors serving as the defending champions
Talk about full circle.
