Kevin Durant will sacrifice nearly $10 million in his next deal with the Golden State Warriors, and he was reportedly willing to go even lower if the situation called for it.
Multiple reports on Monday indicated that Durant will sign a two-year, $53 million deal with the Warriors that includes an opt-out after the first year. Durant will make about $25 million in the first year when CBA rules entitled him to a maximum amount of $34.5 million. One of the main reasons Durant took less was to allow the Golden State to re-sign Andre Iguodala, but K.D. supposedly had a backup plan in mind.
According to Sam Amick, Durant would have signed for even less to help the Warriors bring in Rudy Gay if Iguodala signed elsewhere.
Side story about Durant: If Andre Iguodala had left, I'm told Durant was going to give even more than this back to make room for Rudy Gay.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2017
Durant has made more than $135 million on the court alone during his NBA career, and that doesn’t include endorsements. He certainly isn’t hurting for cash, but there are plenty of players who would not do the same if they were in his shoes. He’s clearly committed to helping the Warriors win as many titles as possible.
If Durant eventually wants a max contract, the Warriors will gladly give it to him. However, with how much less he took this time around, you have to wonder if Durant will help Golden State avoid big problems like this years down the road.
