Kevin Durant is reportedly planning to decline his player option for the 2017-2018 season and become a free agent, but only for a very brief moment.
Sources told ESPN’s Chris Haynes that Durant will sign a new contract with the Golden State Warriors when he becomes a free agent on July 1. Durant is expected to turn down the option that would have paid him $28 million next season to sign another two-year deal with an opt-out clause after the first year. While Durant could sign a new one-and-one deal that pays him approximately $35.7 million annually, Haynes reports that he is expected to take less money.
Durant is reportedly planning to take about $4 million less than he is entitled to in order to help the Warriors keep valuable sixth man Andre Iguodala. Durant taking less would, in theory, allow Golden State to re-sign Iguodala without having to renounce the rights to any of their other free agents.
The Warriors are expected to sign Stephen Curry to the one “supermax” deal they are allotted this offseason, and that will pay the star point guard an estimated $205 million over five years. Durant could sign another one-and-one deal next offseason before cashing in with a max deal of his own worth about $217 million starting in the 2019-2020 season.
Durant is obviously committed to helping the Warriors win as many titles as possible. He knows he’s going to get paid, so it makes sense to give the team flexibility in the short term, especially if the report we heard about Andre Iguodala’s free agency plans is accurate.
