In a candid interview with Draymond Green and a host (Speaker A), Kevin Durant explains why he resisted a mid‑season trade that would have sent him from the Phoenix Suns to the Golden State Warriors. Durant emphasizes his desire to end his career on his own terms, arguing that moving in the middle of a season would be a disruptive "big blow" to any team and would generate unwanted narratives. He notes the practical challenges of integrating a high‑cost star mid‑season, the impact on team chemistry, and the lack of a compelling reason to make such a change now. Draymond Green adds context about roster gaps, the difficulty of mid‑season trades versus offseason moves, and the respect veteran players command in trade negotiations. The conversation shifts to reflecting on the 2015‑2019 era, which Durant and Green both view as a transformative period for the NBA, accelerated by Durant’s move to the Warriors. They discuss how that era elevated player skill sets, prompted other teams to adapt, and reshaped the league’s competitive landscape. Durant also addresses lingering public opinion about his Warriors stint, acknowledging both praise and criticism but asserting he doesn’t let it affect him. Overall, the interview weaves personal agency, logistical trade considerations, and broader league impact into a narrative about why Durant chose to stay put and how his decisions intersect with a pivotal era in NBA history.
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A few weeks ago you said you didn't wanna be traded in the middle of the season, which is why you didn't come to the Warriors, which I thought was gonna happen. I was at the game, I was like, "Oh man, KD came over here, he showed me love." I was like, "Oh, we about to get KD." Do you want your career to end in Phoenix?
Man, I want my career to end on my terms. That's the only thing.
Bingo.
That's the only thing. I'm worried about, you know what I'm saying?
That's all that matter.
'Cause I see a lot of dudes that don't get that opportunity, you know what I'm saying? So I want to keep putting in that work to, you know, make that choice on my own. But as far as the Warriors, I just didn't think it was, you know, and then I didn't want to move. And then as a player like me, I just, I cost a lot. I cost, I mean, me going into your team is gonna make just a, it's gonna be a whole new era of your team when I get to your team, you know what I'm saying? So, and that's a lot of work. —through the season.
Change.
Like, I'm still of value, you know what I'm saying? Especially in my contract and just my production that me just getting up and moving in the middle of season, it's gonna be a big blow to any team I'm going to, you know what I'm saying? So it's like, I get why y'all wanna trade me and, you know what I mean, y'all looking at it just from simple fact, that's just business. But from me looking at it, I'm just like, it just don't make sense for either side right now to go through that. You know what I'm saying? When we just play the season out and if that's the decision you wanna make, you know, in the off-season, then, you know, you figure it out.
So be it.
It's just such a big change to make and I've been through it before. I was like, damn, this not really it.
It ain't, yeah, it ain't the right move. Like to be able to move in the middle of the season and all that.
26 games left, you know.
If I can stop it, then why not? You know what I'm saying? But I can't. And then the narratives that's gonna come with all that shit. It was just like, you know, you don't wanna go stay there. You don't wanna go play with Draymond no more. You don't want to, the narrative got in your way. You don't wanna go back. I was like, yeah, that shit is annoying and I don't like it, but I can play under it. Like, you don't know what, like the type of shit that people say about me. I could play under the noise. It's a simple fact that like, there's no need. I didn't feel like it was a need to, you know, make that big of a change right now. It didn't make sense to me. Yeah. So I tried to, I'm glad it was, you know, and look, look what y'all doing right now, Draymond Green, y'all looking good. Jimmy, and then you still got Kamingo on the way back, you know what I'm saying? So I didn't think it made sense.
Absolutely. No, I think a lot of people don't realize what you going through that in Phoenix of the midnight hour trade.
Mm-hmm.
Bridges leave. I think Aiden left, no, Cam Johnson. Cam Johnson, Bridges, Cam Johnson. Those were big gaps, you know what I'm saying? To try to fill those holes.
Right.
You make that move in the offseason, there may be a third team you can get involved or different stuff where you don't have to deplete your whole team. During the middle of the season, that is very tough to do. And I don't think people realize. And then like you said, also being at your age, like I think everybody still look at you like you a spring chicken because of the way you play. So you still hooping at the same level, but you're set in your life and in your ways at this age to just up and leave.
Yeah, exactly.
That is a lot. Like for Jimmy, Jimmy needed that. You know what I'm saying? Like Jimmy needed a change. That was a different thing. But you know, if he didn't want that change before, which is probably why he was never traded before.
Exactly.
Because y'all do have that type of power to say nah. And no franchise ultimately wanna disrespect guys like y'all because If they do, how do you ever get another one?
Exactly, exactly. And then I just wanna see it through. You know, when you commit to something in a season like that and it's like everybody's still, nobody's like big injuries, like everybody's in the lineup and like, you know what I'm saying? I'm trying to see this through to the end and see what we can really do with it. You know what I'm saying? So, and I feel like I'm committed to my coaches and teammates and I wanna see it through. So, man, I wanted to lock in on that.
Do you think people are still mad at you for playing with the Warriors?
I mean, I'm sure some people not gonna like let it go. I don't, I'm gonna say they mad, they still angry about it, but I don't think they gonna forget that I went to the Warriors. You know what I'm saying? That's gonna always be a talking point when it comes to my career. But I don't give a shit. We did some incredible things and we had some of the most fun times of my life moving around. As a warrior. So it's gonna be people that love it, it's gonna be people that hate it, man. But at the end of the day, it happened.
And it was great, and we happy it did, 'cause it created a dynasty.
Man, got to see you at the peak of your career and your moment. And so when you think about when time pass and people are like, damn, bro, like, we wish this would've stayed together for, you know, 3, 4 more years.
Yeah, they gonna say that. They gonna say that. But when they should just be, you know, going back and watching that footage so they can learn.
That part. That part. Listen, man. You hear people say that shit all the time. And the reality is 2015 to 2019 is, in my opinion, the best era of NBA basketball, the best 5-year stretch of NBA basketball, in my opinion. But regardless if that's your opinion or not, you may say, oh, it was, The showtime is somewhere in the top 3, which—
Exactly.
The amount of guys that's coming to NBA, that's a big deal. And you coming to the Warriors elevated it so much to where that's why it became that. It doesn't become that. We never really experienced the era of basketball we experienced had you not came to the Warriors. That's actually what elevated the game 'Cause it elevated teams because then all of a sudden it was like, oh, whoa, wait, we gotta build to beat them and that dude. It elevated the team, it elevated skill sets. I think it elevated so much in my opinion.
No, I agree. I agree. And as I was making that decision to leave OKC, it was like, all right, if I stay in OKC, I think I'm passing up on something so incredible. That I don't know if I could just pass this up. This ain't just no regular opportunity. That's how I was feeling. And I didn't know exactly how it would play out, obviously, but it just felt like this would be a huge, huge shift and moment. And not just to people that consume the game, but just how the game is played itself. You know what I'm saying?
Mm-hmm.
I was like, this seemed like— this seemed like something I can't turn down right now. You know what I mean? And it turned out to be that big. And I agree. You know what I'm saying? There was so many great teams. Like, '67 went Spurs that year. Y'all won '73. Then Cleveland won '16 and had won what, '14 in the playoffs, I think when they played.
Yep.
14-1. It was like insane shit that was going on team-wise and individual player-wise. You know what I'm saying? We was seeing the, that's when Kawhi started to emerge to become a superstar from there.
Right.
You know what I'm saying? That's when y'all, the Warriors started to come around 2015. That's when, you know, you, Steph, Klay, started to jump on to be All-Stars every year. You know what I'm saying?
So— Kyrie started playing with Bron that year. We seen Kyrie in a totally different light.
Exactly. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? So it was a lot of shift in like, dudes that are transforming to be like, "All right, they're stars now. These dudes are superstars too now." I'm saying it was a few extra dudes that you wouldn't expect, like a Kawhi, like a James.
James had just kind of left y'all right when that happened. And James became—
James. James, James. You know what I'm saying? Like even Steph, I mean Steph was at the All-Star level, but he ascended to like God-tier levels around that time. You know what I'm saying? So when you see these dudes, you know, even myself, you know, going from an MVP, you know what I'm saying? And you see everybody ascended quick. D-Rose, you know, I could just go down the line.
Russ, everybody, everybody leveled up.
Everybody leveled up at that time. And it all felt like at the same time. And when you go from seeing dudes become young stars to super mega stars that's gonna, you know, push the league forward for the next 10 years, it's just like, wow, that shit happened quick. And it surprised us too, you know? 'Cause we was so used to the Kobe, Shaq era things, the slowed down pace of guards backing you down all the way down court.
Yeah.
It was very rare you see a B.D. or Steve Francis or, you know what I'm saying? Now you was seeing these dudes every night.
Every night.
So I think the players that went to the next level and then the team building that went to the next level too.
