Sports
Draymond Green Reveals Close Call for Durant Trade to Warriors
Draymond Green, a star player for the Golden State Warriors, shared new details about a potential trade that nearly sent Kevin Durant back to the team. The trade discussions happened on the same night that Luka Doncic was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. Green revealed this during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Green recounted that Warriors owner Joe Lacob was excited about the possibility of reuniting with Durant. “Joe goes, ‘Draymond, I think we’re going to get Kevin Durant. It’s right there at the finish line. It’s happening,’” Green said.
Minutes later, as Green sat at a poker tournament with teammates, Lacob returned with an urgent message. “He comes running back to me like, ‘Draymond! Draymond! I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Don’t say nothing to nobody,’” Green said.
However, news of the Doncic trade broke, which overshadowed discussions about Durant. The Warriors ultimately acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat instead. They finished the season as the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Despite the trade talks, Durant expressed to Warriors star Stephen Curry that he did not wish to leave Phoenix and had no plans to request a trade. “I never planned on leaving or moving or getting traded,” Durant told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
Durant, who won two championships with the Warriors from 2016 to 2019, has been with the Suns for parts of three seasons. His focus remains on finishing his career on his own terms. “I want my career to end on my terms,” he said, emphasizing that a mid-season change did not make sense for him or the team.
Although the trade did not happen, Green’s reflections provide a glimpse into the high-stakes decisions teams make as the NBA evolves.
