“Durant and Irving, league sources say, have met twice in recent weeks to discuss their desire to continue their careers on the same team, an idea forged while playing together on the U.S. national team. The first meeting took place in the Bay Area while Durant nursed a strained right calf; the second occurred in New York shortly after Durant had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.”
The timing of that first purported meeting is especially noteworthy as it would have taken place while the Warriors were still in the midst of making a playoff push.
Bucher also addressed Durant’s injury situation and how it impacts his looming decision. As Bucher said on the pod with Matt Steinmetz and Brian Scalabrine, Durant is reportedly not thrilled with how the situation played out:
“The indication from several league sources is that Durant is not happy with the team, and the presumption is that it stems from whatever role Warriors officials played in his decision to suit up. Coach Steve Kerr says he was told Durant could not further injure himself by playing, which obviously proved not to be true. If Durant was told the same, it would give credence to the notion that, as one league executive claims, ‘He's really pissed off at the Warriors.’”
Here’s the pod, in which Bucher speaks to this topic at length: