Only a trade with epic proportions might save the Golden State Warriors‘ spiraling season.
Kevin Durant returning to the Bay is a dream scenario for the Warriors, who dropped to 21-21 after a 125-85 shellacking at home against the defending champion Boston Celtics on Martin Luther King Day.
The embarrassing blowout loss kicked them out of the play-in picture in the loaded Western Conference.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes is pushing for a dream Durant trade that he noted, would only become a reality if Durant seeks another relocation from Phoenix, which is locked in mediocrity by the crippling second apron of the luxury tax.
Hughes’ grand trade idea is to swap four of the Warriors’ rotation players, two of them starters, and their first-round draft capital for Durant.
Golden State Warriors Receive: Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
“A four-for-one deal that comes within roughly $135,000 of being illegal and requires the Suns to waive a pair of contracts in the process is pretty far-fetched. But desperate times call for desperate measures,” Hughes wrote.
Durant’s departure in 2019 remains one of the biggest sliding-door moments in NBA history. The Warriors might have won more championships had he stayed. They were on the cusp of a three-peat in 2019 until his and Klay Thompson’s injuries derailed them in the NBA Finals against the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors.
“Bringing Durant back for a second tour would be a shortsighted, all-in move. But it would be in service of Curry, giving him the shot at contention he’s owed. Successfully capturing one more ring may be unrealistic under any circumstances, but it’d be slightly more plausible with Durant back on board,” Hughes added.
Kevin Durant ‘Might Be Doing Suns a Favor’ if He Asks Out
As Hughes repeatedly noted, “A Durant trade won’t happen unless he asks for one, which…can we really pretend that’s off the table?”
This trade hinges on Durant getting disgruntled about the Suns’ murky future.
“Phoenix is staring down one of the bleakest futures in the league. Capped out, bereft of picks, wildly inflexible and barely hanging around the Play-In mix, the Suns are a sinking ship,” Hughes wrote. “Durant might actually be doing Phoenix a favor by agitating to leave.”
The Suns get to retool around Devin Booker and Bradley Beal with more defensive depth with the veteran trio of Wiggins, Payton and Looney, take a flier on Kuminga and recoup some draft capital for flexibility.
Steph Curry ‘Not Okay Being on Average Team’
While Warriors 36-year-old superstar Stephen Curry said he’s against a desperate trade that will mortgage the team’s future, he clarified that he’s not accepting mediocrity.
“Anyone who thinks I’m okay with being on an average basketball team is insane,” Curry said after they barely beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-115 on January 15. “Trade machines are fun, but what does that actually look like? We’re gonna handle our business. Mike [Dunleavy] is gonna handle his. We will see where we end up.”
While a Durant trade is a far-fetched idea, it’s not impossible as things tend to quickly change in the NBA.
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Warriors’ Wild 4-for-1 Trade for Kevin Durant Proposed