Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Golden State Warriors were working on a trade to bring Kevin Durant back, with Jimmy Butler moving to the Phoenix Suns. However, the deal ultimately fell through.
Instead, the Warriors traded for Butler from the Miami Heat. In exchange, Miami received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, PJ Tucker, and a 2025 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons were also involved in the deal, with Dennis Schroder going to the Jazz and Lindy Waters and Josh Richardson heading to the Pistons.
The possibility of Durant returning to the Warriors was squashed with this trade. Afterward, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Durant would remain in Phoenix, as the Suns are committed to building a championship contender around him and Devin Booker.
So, what happened to the anticipated Kevin Durant-Jimmy Butler three-team blockbuster trade? According to ESPN, the negotiations fell apart when Durant “informed the team he did not want to return to Golden State.”
The report went on to state that the Warriors, Suns, and Heat had been close to a deal that would have sent Butler to Phoenix and brought Durant back to the Warriors, where he won championships in 2017 and 2018.
As of now, it’s uncertain whether Durant’s decision to stay with the Suns will prove to be the right one. Meanwhile, the Warriors have quickly moved on and are now focused on keeping their season alive with Butler alongside Steph Curry.
