Steve Kerr Reacts To Kevin Durant Not Wanting To Play For Him On Warriors
Steve Kerr Reacts To Kevin Durant Not Wanting To Play For Him On Warriors
The Golden State Warriors explored bringing Kevin Durant back through trade discussions with the Phoenix Suns. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed understanding for Durant’s decision to decline a potential reunion.
“I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here,” Kerr said.
“He took so much sh*t 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?”
Stephen Curry took a similar position.
“You need everybody to be all bought in no matter what the history you have. And I respect KD,” he said.
“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.”
The proposed trade would have paired Durant with Curry again. Durant’s previous stint with Golden State produced remarkable success, including two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards.
Kerr supported Durant‘s choice, acknowledging the intense scrutiny and pressure that accompanied his first tenure with the team. The Warriors’ attempt to acquire Durant demonstrated their continued respect for his elite talent.
The failed trade talks ended any possibility of recreating the Warriors’ dominant championship core of Durant, Curry, and Draymond Green. Durant remains with the Suns, where he continues his pursuit of additional NBA titles.
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
