Kevin Durant opted not to sign a long-term contract with the Golden State Warriors. At least not yet. Instead, the back-to-back NBA Finals MVP is expected to sign a two-year max contract with a player option in Year 2.
Kevin Durant will re-sign with the Warriors on a 2-year deal that give both him and Golden State flexibility
Durant can become a free agent again next season and either leave the Warriors or sign the five-year supermax.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Durant’s decision is a move that gives both he and the Warriors flexibility. Let me break it down for you right quick.
The Warriors save money on their taxes
Durant’s contract is a two-year, $61.5 million deal that pays $30 million in Year 1. Had he gone for the most lucrative contract the Warriors could have offered right now, it would have been a four-year, $158 million deal that pays $35 million over the 2018-19 season.
A $5 million difference may not seem like much when there are $219 million contract being shelled out, but the NBA assesses a fee for every dollar teams eclipse the luxury tax by, and repeat tax offenders get charged more. The Warriors are repeat offenders, and Durant’s contract put them over the luxury tax level by $9 million with now only nine of a minimum of 13 players on the roster. By the time the roster is full, the Warriors will end up paying $3.50 or more for every dollar by which they exceed the luxury tax.
That $5 million could end up saving owner Joe Lacob close to $20 million.
It also sets Durant’s future up beautifully
Durant is expected to sign a two-year deal, but because it has a player option in Year 2, it means he’ll be able to opt out and enter unrestricted free agency. That means he could either re-sign for the five-year, supermax contract worth $219 million or leave Golden State and pursue another opportunity elsewhere.
That could be heading to Los Angeles and playing for the Lakers, going home to play for the Wizards, or flying out northeast to play for the Nets. His future is in his hands now, which is something all players value more than anything. And if the Warriors win another championship and three-peat next June, he can make it a dynasty by staying for another five years.
Durant may not have gone for the biggest of big bank just yet, but as long as he stays dominant — and stays healthy — the Brinks truck will back up onto his front yard soon. And because of the contract he signed, that pay day probably will come from Golden State, but his options are open. It can come from anywhere.
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