Kevin Durant to Decline Option for Next Season and Restructure Deal
By Andrew Ites
Kevin Durant will become an unrestricted free agent after declining his option for next season, but he will restructure his contract with the Warriors.
Kevin Durant was set to make $26.2 million in 2018-19, but he will decline the player option on his current contract and work on a new deal with the Warriors this offseason according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
Durant took nearly a $10 million pay cut on his current contract with the Warriors in order to keep veterans Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
General manager Bob Myers said KD’s pay cut was essential to keeping their current roster together, but it was essentially a good will move towards ownership that prevented them from having to pay a larger luxury tax.
The Warriors’ front office is probably planning to make that up to Durant by giving him a boat load of money in his next contract.
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ESPN’s front office expert Bobby Marks says KD has a few options to consider for his next contract. He could sign a two-year deal with a player option in 2019-20, a four-year max contract, or a three-year deal with a player option after the second season.
Kevin Durant’s decision this offseason could decide what this team will look like a few years down the line.
Steph Curry is under contract through the 2021-22 season and Draymond Green is signed through 2019-20, but Klay Thompson is set to be a free agent after next season. The duration of Durant’s next contract will affect how much the Warriors would be willing to offer Klay at the end of his current deal.
Durant is expected to get a big pay day in exchange for saving the team some money, but it will be interesting to see whether he wants a long-term deal or if he wants to hit the open market again soon.