Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“Why would he want to face all that again?”- Steve Kerr breaks silence on Kevin Durant’s decision not to return to the Warriors

Kevin Durant helped Warriors win two back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.

Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr backed Phoenix Suns’ superstar Kevin Durant’s decision to not return to the Warriors. Notably, Durant was one hot name during the trade deadline 2025 and the NBA was buzzing by the possibilities of the Warriors’ reunion with their former player.

While the Steve Kerr-managed side wanted to have Durant back to their roster, the 15-time NBA All-Star showed no interest in moving back to the former side.

A week after the deadline, the Dubs’ head coach Steve Kerr expressed his solidarity with Kevin’s decision of not choosing to go back to his old side he spent three seasons with.

Kerr talked to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN and said that he would not blame Durant for not wanting to return alongside Stephen Curry.

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

He also said that Kevin would not want to get all the criticism back he once got while being a part of the franchise.

“He took so much s*** for like, ‘Oh, you’re jumping on the bandwagon’. 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,” Kerr added.

Notably, Kerr was referring to the criticism Durant was subjected to when he expressed his interest in joining “super team” with the Warriors in 2016.

Fans and pundits slammed the player for choosing an easy route by joining the side, coming off record-setting 73 wins in 2016 as well as a championship in 2015.

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Durant was signed by the Warriors, and he helped them advance to their two straight championships in 2017 and 2018. The Washington D.C-born was named the NBA Finals MVP in both the seasons.

“I respect KD”- Stephen Curry on Kevin Durant’s decision of not moving back

Durant’s former teammate and Warriors’ icon Stephen Curry also spoke about the former’s decision and said that he has respect for him.

Curry reached out to Durant as an effort for him to bring back to the side but was politely refused by the 36-year-old. The Warriors then shifted their focus to the former Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and ended up signing him.

Curry talked to ESPN and emphasized upon Durant’s decision stating that he would not want to persuade anyone unless they aren’t fully willing to join.

“You need everybody to be all bought in no matter what the history you have. And I respect KD. It’s all about having peace of mind and happiness,” said the 11-time NBA All-Star.

“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,” Curry added.

Notably, both Kevin and Curry will reunite for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game as they get into action for Shaq’s OGs alongside LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and more.

Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant

Stephen Curry

Steve Kerr

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.