The 2023–24 Golden State Warriors season ended sooner than anticipated. After falling to the Sacramento Kings 118-94 in the first round of the Play-In Tournament, the Warriors were eliminated.

This year, Stephen Curry was once again a top player; however, his “big three” teammates did not play as well.

After sustaining several serious injuries, Klay Thompson has changed as a player, and his season came to an end when the Warriors lost to the Kings, going 0-for-10. Then there is Draymond Green, who, when on the floor, never ceased to have an impact on the game, but he found it difficult to stay out of trouble.

Due to on-court altercations, Green had repeated suspensions during the season. The Warriors finished 13–14 while Green was not in the lineup.

It appeared as though the Warriors’ roster for 2024–2025 may undergo some significant adjustments after their defeat. Although it was first thought that those adjustments would involve dismantling the team that has enjoyed significant success over the past ten years, a new article from a Bay Area reporter indicates they would attempt to recreate one of the greatest roster cores in NBA history.

After the Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games, 95.7-FM The Game’s Mark Willard discussed the likelihood of superstar Kevin Durant returning to the Warriors.

Willard made it apparent that, despite the idea’s seeming impossibility, it’s not.

“I’ve been trying my best to burn up the lines, and this is all I’ll say,” Willard said. “I’m telling you straight now that this Kevin Durant thing could happen the longer I go, the more people I talk to, and the more I try to learn about all the ins and outs of it.” This is grounded on reality.”

After his Oklahoma City Thunder team lost a 3-1 playoff lead against the Warriors, Durant infamously joined with the Warriors during the 2016 offseason. After joining the squad that had only won 73 games during the regular season, Durant’s group lost the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, blowing a 3-1 lead of their own.

The Warriors weren’t blowing any leads, though, with Durant leading the way. Before injuries ended the Warriors’ hopes of winning three straight titles in the NBA Finals, they would defeat the Toronto Raptors in the series.

One of the biggest disappointments in NBA history was that Durant’s new “big three” in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving and eventually James Harden didn’t work out. In 2022, Durant asked to be traded, and he ultimately joined Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the Phoenix Suns before the trade deadline, creating yet another elite group. The Suns acquired Bradley Beal in order to create a new superteam after the Denver Nuggets, the eventual NBA champions, eliminated them from the postseason.

Could Durant try to rejoin the only team that has given him postseason success after yet another unpleasant departure? Would the Warriors even entertain the prospect of picking up the remaining two years and almost $100 million of his contract? Willard’s co-host Dan Dibley believes that this move is feasible.

“Will Kevin Durant be traded by the Suns? At this point, I’d say that’s a safe 50/50,” Dibley stated. “I would give the Warriors a better than average chance to acquire Kevin Durant back if they decide to trade him. We know that KD enjoyed playing with Steph. We are aware of KD’s achievements while playing for the Golden State. There are some appealing things about the Warriors. The owner of the Warriors, Joe Lacob, is the last piece of it all; he’s aggressive. He will attempt to take action to bring about a certain outcome. He won’t merely fold his hands and hope that Andrew Wiggins does better the following season.”

With four championships, the Warriors have won more than any other team in the past ten years. The 2021–22 season was their most recent victory, but Curry’s supporting group is starting to come off as increasingly questionable.

Golden State will probably need to make a major splash this offseason if they are to try and extend their championship window with Curry. A reunion between Durant and the Warriors would also make a lot of sense if both teams wanted to try to win another championship and the Suns were willing to trade Durant.

September is Durant’s 36th birthday, but he showed last season that he was still capable of playing at a high level. With 52.3 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 85.6 percent from the free-throw line, the 14-time All-Star averaged 27.1 points per game. Moreover, he made 75 appearances, which is his most since 2018–19.

As a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which honored the 75 greatest players in NBA history, Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Though his inability to win outside of Golden State will always be a mark against him, he will go down as one of the greats.

Does Durant’s desire to win therefore come first? Or does winning outside of Golden State mean more to him?

If the former, Durant might ask to be traded back to the Warriors, who have sufficient resources to make a deal work. If the latter, Durant would probably be willing to run it back in Phoenix, where Mat Ishbia, the team owner, has stated unequivocally that he has no intention of blowing anything up.

Tell reporters, “Let’s be real,” Ishbia said. Ask the other 29 general managers, and 26 of them will swap our entire squad, along with our draft selections, for their entire team. There is no fire in the house. We’re at a really good place. It is easily fixed. We are talented enough to take home the title.”

Though it’s early in the offseason, nothing is off the table, particularly if Durant makes the trade request.

In order to acquire a superstar who is nearing the end of his career, would the Warriors be willing to take on that much debt and give up a ton of future assets?

“Even if Joe (Lacob) thinks it’s probably not the right thing to do,” Willard continued, “I absolutely believe he’ll do it.”