Kevin Durant’s future with the Warriors was in question after he decided to opt out of his contract, but he told Rachel Nichols that he will re-sign this summer.
Kevin Durant hasn’t said much about whether he will stay in Golden State after this season.
In a press conference during the Western Conference Finals, Durant said “anything can happen” regarding his future with the Warriors.
KD is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason after opting out of the final year of his contract.
However, his free agency is expected to be much less eventful this time around as he’s told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he will re-sign with Golden State this summer.
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Rachel Nichols’ tone in dropping this comment suggests that she thought there wasn’t much of a question about what KD would do this offseason.
Durant probably kept his options open in his public comments to hold a better bargaining position with the Warriors when they get around to negotiating his next contract.
We laid out the potential deals that KD could sign with Golden State back when he decided to opt out of his contract a few months ago. Here are Durant’s options according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks:
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Durant could sign a two-year deal with a player option for the 2019-20 season, which would be worth $30 million in the first year and $31.5 million in the second year. KD could then opt out and sign a five-year $219 million contract after the 2018-19 season, which would be the biggest deal in the league if the Spurs don’t give Kawhi Leonard the “super-max” contract.
The simplest option for both sides would be a four-year max contract worth around $158 million. The first year would pay KD $35.3 million, $38.2 million in the second year, $41 million in 2020-21, and $43.8 million in the final year of the deal.
Durant could sign a three-year contract, which would include a player option after the second year. The pay breakdown would be the same as option two, except the fourth year would be off the table. If KD opted out of the third year, he could sign a five-year $228 million deal after the 2019-20 season. He would be eligible for a no-trade clause in this scenario, but the Warriors didn’t give one to Steph Curry in their most recent contract.
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While it is good news that KD will at least be around for the 2018-19 season, it’s going to cost a pretty penny to keep him in Golden State long term.
The Warriors’ new arena could help defray those costs, but Joe Lacob is going to have to sign an incredibly large luxury tax bill to keep this team together.
For now, we will continue to enjoy watching Durant torch opposing defenses like he did in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.