The last time Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teamed up in the NBA, the result was three NBA Finals appearances and two titles in three years. And then, a few years after separating, they got together as part of the USA Basketball Avengers with LeBron James to lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer.

The Suns (25-23) sit in eighth in the Western Conference, just one game ahead of the Warriors (24-24). As the likelihood of Butler joining the Suns seemingly continues to dwindle, it could potentially open up a path for Durant to make a stunning return to the Warriors.

It was all the backing the front office needed to remain committed to the next era of Warriors basketball rather than be forced into taking a wild swing to falsely extend this one.  Now, as Thursday's trade deadline fast approaches amid a flurry of absolutely wild activity (notably Luka Doncic's jaw-dropping trade to the Lakers and De'Aaron Fox heading to the Spurs),