There's no in-depth explanation necessary to understand why it's virtually guaranteed that Kevin Durant won't be returning to the Golden State Warriors.
The widespread assumption that he'd grown irreversibly crossways with franchise pillars after bailing on Golden State three years ago was always naive. Indeed, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reported on Sunday that Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson had “conversations” with their former teammate in which they “entertained the idea of a reunion.”
Thompson also reports the discussions were “mostly” about the mere possibility of Durant coming back to The Bay materializing at all, though. Who could've seen that coming not just after his initial exit, but when James Harden joined Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn six months later?
The Nets' flameout was stunning. It's also the main intangible reason Durant almost certainly won't be playing for the Warriors. His fraught legacy, unfair or not, would only grow more tattered by chasing more titles in Golden State amid his failure in Brooklyn.
No player in league history—with the exception of LeBron James when he took his talents to South Beach—received more flak than Durant after he spurned the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 73-9 Warriors in 2016. Confident as Durant is with his place in basketball's current and all-time individual hierarchy, and rightfully so, it's safe to assume he doesn't want the baggage of running to the Dubs again.
But there's a logistical hurdle that makes Durant's return to the Warriors even more implausible than those layered narratives: Complex trade restrictions.
League rules prevent any team from rostering two players who signed designated rookie extensions and were acquired via trade. Ben Simmons already fits that bill for the Nets, and he's reportedly the lone incumbent who's unavailable in Brooklyn's imminent “fire sale.”
Andrew Wiggins would definitely help soften the blow of Durant's departure, just like he eventually did with Golden State. But he's a part of the most popular theoretical Warriors trade packages for Durant not because of his standout two-way performance in the Finals, but because he's their only matching salary for Durant that isn't Curry, Green or Thompson.
Wiggins signed a designated rookie extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017, meaning the Nets couldn't legally trade for him as long as Simmons is still on the roster. Accounting for the low combined salary of Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman, the Warriors have no means of adding the necessary $20 million to fulfill salary-matching rules without including Wiggins.
Even if Bob Myers and the front office were somehow able to cobble together enough salary to come within legal shouting distance of Durant's $44.1 million, it's fair to assume Brooklyn will field more attractive offers than one from Golden State that doesn't feature Wiggins.
Poole is a borderline star already and Kuminga has extremely intriguing two-way potential, but Wiseman is a complete unknown. The Warriors' future first-round picks are less valuable than other teams', and they're already out one to the rival Memphis Grizzlies in 2024.
The realistic path for Durant's return to Golden State just doesn't exist. And even if complicated NBA trade rules didn't stand pat in the way of it, an all-too-familiar hit to his legacy surely would anyway.
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