With the whole James Harden trade saga coming to an end on Wednesday, rumors have now emerged regarding the Golden State Warriors and their role in the rumors. As it turns out, however, former Dubs star and Harden's new Brooklyn Nets teammate Kevin Durant allegedly told Harden early on that based on his own experience, playing under Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn't exactly a dream scenario.
Here's a transcript of a conversation between NBA insiders Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons, and Jackie MacMullan in a recent episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast (h/t Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area):
Simmons: “The sleeping giant of this whole Harden sweepstakes was Golden State. And I don't think they were in it. But if they had decided to get into it …”
Russillo: “I heard he, um … he was not … he and [Kevin] Durant are close, and Durant wanted him to leave (Houston). So I think there was some communication …”
Simmons: “There was some Steve Kerr stuff.”
Russillo: “Yeah, that you might not want to play for him. Which sounds insane that Durant could complain about anything with Golden State, but it sounds like he did.”
MacMullan: “Well, but the only complaint that Kevin Durant had about Golden State was he wasn't Steph Curry, and he never was gonna be Steph Curry in that market. And no matter what he did and how many championships they won, Steph Curry was still the guy.”
Harden was linked to the Warriors early on, with the Dubs reportedly putting in an inquiry on Harden. However, nothing ever got close and there apparently wasn't even a concrete offer put on the table. Then the Dubs backed off entirely.
Whether or not Durant's advice played a role in talks not progressing is a mystery. This isn't the first time we've heard rumblings about KD having issues with Kerr,
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