NBA insider reveals real reason why Kevin Durant didn't go back to Golden State

The Phoenix Suns continue to look like a team that is not going to make much noise once the playoffs finally do roll around, but that won't be for the want of trying by superstar Kevin Durant. Amidst all the trade talk throughout the league leading up to the deadline - and which ended up including himself - Durant has remained a cool customer both on the court and when talking to the media.

Then again - when you're 36-years-old and just enjoying your basketball having done so much in this league - we shouldn't be surprised this is Durant's attitude to all the talk. He's seen it all - moving teams several times in the past on his own terms - so trade talk doesn't faze him. He also recently joined the 30,000 points club, getting to that accolade faster than old pal LeBron James.

Durant turned down the chance to reunite with an old flame.

That's because the Golden State Warriors were rumored to be pushing for a player who won a pair of championships with them hard in the final days of the trade deadline. A deal never did happen - despite the apparent willingness of the Suns to listen to offers - with Durant again cutting a wise figure in speaking with the media on the fact he was made available at all by the franchise.

Now NBA Insider Shams Charania of ESPN has gone on the record as saying that the Warriors felt they had put a deal in place to actually acquire Durant. The problem? Durant himself didn't sign off on the deal - and although he doesn't have a no-trade clause like Bradley Beal - superstars still have a lot of pull in this league.

Phoenix might be Devin Booker's city, but the Warriors wouldn't have wanted a player who didn't want to be there either. Worryingly from the perspective of the Suns however, the fact they managed to get Jimmy Butler and have hit the ground running with him in place there is a problem for their own postseason ambitions.

Although the idea of teaming up with Stephen Curry again probably appealed to Durant - as it would anybody in the league - we already broke down why Durant was ever likely to go back to San Francisco. We know his legacy means a lot to him - and if he went back and somehow won another title - it would be discredited even less than the two he already has.

There's no point in looking back - at least under these current circumstances anyway - while this recent piece by Howard Beck of The Ringer gave us even more clues into Durant's way of thinking and why moving from The Valley right now isn't going to happen. He's moved into a different stage of his career, and is happy to be out there hooping with the guys that he likes to play with.

That certainly includes Booker - and while the prospect of a championship in Phoenix feels as far away as ever right now - we should all still enjoy Durant's greatness while he calls the Suns home. Yes there will be more rumors come the offseason but his answer on this one is clear and emphatic. He didn't want to go back to the Warriors and is happy with the Suns, it really is that simple.