Kevin Durant, who won Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 with the Warriors, does not want to return to Golden State, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.

“The Warriors have been seriously pursuing Kevin Durant over the last week, but sources tell me that Durant has no desire in a reunion with the Warriors,” Charania said Wednesday on NBA Today.

Shortly after Charania’s report, ESPN/Andscape senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears said he got a text saying that talks between the Warriors and Suns are “dead.”

The Suns and Warriors have the same record at 25-24, tied for ninth place in the West. Phoenix has Durant under contract through 2026, but its current big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal hasn’t shown enough to compete for championships. Phoenix reportedly has interest in Miami’s Jimmy Butler, and it’s possible that a complicated deal that would net Butler, picks and additional players would make sense for the Suns.

Butler reportedly told the Warriors this week that he wouldn’t be interested in signing a contract extension with them.

Durant’s disinclination to play for the Warriors doesn’t necessarily prohibit them from trading for him. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so therefore has little leverage in picking his next destination. If the Suns are intent on trading him, they’d likely send him to the team with the best trade offer.

Durant has not, by any account, requested out of Phoenix. But neither did Luka Doncic, whom the Mavericks traded in a league-shattering deal for Anthony Davis.

Charania didn’t explain why Durant doesn’t want to come back to the Bay. His final season with the Warriors was tumultuous, and he isolated himself from his teammates after a heated argument with Draymond Green on the bench. But he played with Curry — and for Steve Kerr — this past summer for Team USA and was seen hugging Green after last week’s Suns win over the Warriors.

Golden State’s reported interest in Durant is logical. After striking out on players like LeBron James, Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, the Warriors are still searching for a true star to pair with Steph Curry. There may be no player better suited to take the scoring burden off Curry than Durant, who already did it for three seasons. Owner Joe Lacob sat next to Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, at last week’s game at Chase Center.

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Curry is the only untouchable Warrior, leaving the rest of the team on edge as the trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, at noon Pacific Time on Thursday.

Possible trade targets beyond Durant and Butler include Brandon Ingram and Nikola Vucevic. Zach LaVine would have fit the bill, but he joined the Kings this week in a three-team deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio.

The Warriors play the Jazz in Utah on Wednesday night before flying to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Lakers hours after the trade deadline.