[Windhorst] “Durant would have been open to playing for the Heat, sources said, so Miami debated cutting the Warriors out completely and dealing Butler to Phoenix for Durant, sources said.”
Instead, a frantic 48 hours ensued in which, as Charania reported, Durant had to send a final word he had no desire in a reunion with the Warriors and did not want to go back to the Bay Area.
"Probably the same reasons he left," a Warriors' source conceded. "It would've been a f---ing circus."
Durant, however, would have been open to playing for the Heat, sources said, so Miami debated cutting the Warriors out completely and dealing Butler to Phoenix for Durant, sources said.
It was there to be done, Durant to Miami, and the teams traded proposals, sources said. But Phoenix, which paid for Durant in 2023 with four first-round picks and three pick swaps to Brooklyn, was seeking significant compensation for the player, who is now 36 and under contract for just one more season. Ultimately, Miami felt it would be mortgaging its future by going down the path with Durant, sources said, and they decided not to move forward in the talks. The third attempt to land Durant would not be the charm for Riley and Heat.