Draymond Green Says Warriors Were at 'Finish Line' on Kevin Durant Trade at Deadline

Draymond Green said on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week that the Warriors were "at the finish line" to acquire Kevin Durant before the deal ultimately fell through.

"When it first happened, we were at a Warriors charity poker tournament," he said (6:10 mark). "I just saw Joe Lacob 10 minutes before this happened. Joe gets excited. Joe goes, 'Draymond, I think we're going to get Kevin Durant. It's right there at the finish line. It's happening. We're getting Kevin Durant back.' I'm like, 'Oh, man. Here we go. Let's go.' And we talk about it. He asks if I think it'll work. I said absolutely. He leaves, he comes running back two minutes later like, 'Draymond! Draymond! I wasn't supposed to say anything. Don't say nothing to nobody.' I'm like, 'Joe, I got you. I won't say anything to anyone.'

"So we're at this tournament and I go sit down and about 15 minutes later, Steph [Curry] yells, 'Draymond, you see the trade?'" he continued. "And I go, 'It happened?' Steph goes, 'Wait, who?' I said, 'Oh, never mind, nobody. What happened?' And he's like, 'Luka [Dončić] got traded.' "

The revelation doesn't come as much of a surprise—reporting at the time suggested the Warriors had been close to landing Durant, to the point that Stephen Curry and Durant reportedly discussed joining forces for a second time, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.

Durant, however, told Curry that didn't "feel right" and felt it "wasn't the time" to reunite. He later told Green that he "didn't want to move" and knew that any team acquiring him would have to give up assets and would be weakened for a postseason run, so he thought it made more sense to explore in the offseason.

The Warriors ultimately transitioned to a trade for Jimmy Butler, while Durant assuredly will be dealt from Phoenix this summer. But had Durant been interested in a return to Golden State, it sounds as though it would have happened.