Main Reason Kevin Durant Rejected Warriors Reunion: Report

Veteran forward Kevin Durant did not want to reunite with the Golden State Warriors due to his contentious relationship with head coach Steve Kerr, according to The Ringer’s Logan Murdock.

In the aftermath of Durant’s trade to the Houston Rockets, Murdock reported that Durant’s refusal to reunite with Golden State had less to do with Draymond Green, with whom he had an infamous dust-up, and more to do with his issues with Kerr.

“Durant’s exit from the Bay Area arguably had more to do with his issues with Steve Kerr than any shouting match with Green,” Murdock wrote. “Durant repeatedly complained both publicly and privately about Kerr’s offensive principles during his final season with the Warriors, and he continued to do so even after he left for Brooklyn.”

“The two have since reconciled, but league sources identify Kerr as among the reasons Durant opted not to return to Golden State at the trade deadline.”

Kevin Durant Refutes Report

In typical Durant style, the 15-time All-Star took to X to call out Murdock over his story, suggesting that the writer was trying to “gain attention” with a false report.

@We still on this??? Obvious opportunity for Logan Murdock to gain even more attention and try too revive his career by using my name and the Warriors. The audience is SICK AND TIRED of the same bullshit narrative. Be better my man.”

Murdock responded with an NSFW response and a more direct one.

Kerr Addressed Durant’s Rejection

Kerr previously addressed Kevin Durant’s decision to reject a Warriors reunion at the 2024-25 NBA trade deadline. In a chat

The veteran coach told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that he did not blame Durant for his decision, given the backlash he faced for joining a 73-win Warriors team in 2016.

“I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here,” Kerr said in February 2025.

“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?”

At the time, Durant refused Kerr’s theory, noting that he wasn’t interested in changing teams midseason. He also spoke glowingly about his time with the Warriors and hinted that he was more than open to reuniting with Stephen Curry and Co.

“People talk crazy about me all the time,” Durant told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

“That’s not the reason why I didn’t want to come back, I just didn’t want to get traded midway through the season. It was nothing against my time with the Warriors, or I heard because I didn’t like Draymond. At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to move and I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we can do the rest of the season. I’m glad I’m still there.”

When Durant made those comments, some felt that a reunion with the Warriors was still on the cards. However, the 36-year-old listed the Rockets, Spurs and Heat as his three preferred destinations in the 2025 offseason, leading to his trade to Houston.