Aside from a knee injury that cost him a quarter of the season, Kevin Durant’s first season in Golden State has been a rousing success. The former MVP helped lead the Warriors to the best record in the NBA, was named a starter in the All-Star Game, and posted career bests in field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks per game.
After signing a two-year deal this offseason, Durant is technically under contract for next year, but has the option to opt out of the deal and is expected to do so. If he does, Durant will be due for a potential $36 million pay day in 2017-18, were he to sign a new max contract with Golden State, far more than the $27.7 million he’s due next season under his current deal. He could also sign elsewhere.
KD joined Bay Area News Group columnists Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson on their excellent Warriors Plus/Minus podcast on Friday. Kawakami asked Durant point blank if he will re-sign with the Warriors next summer.
“Uh yeah, I mean, obviously I’m thinking about the playoffs right now,” Durant said. “Haven’t even thought about it that much. But I don’t plan on going anywhere else.”
Teammates Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, both free agents at the end of this season, have said essentially the same thing when asked in recent months about their plans to stay in Golden State after this season. While their comments should make Warriors’ fans feel confident that their star-studded team will be together for the foreseeable future, exactly how much money Durant wants next season will play a large part into how many of his teammates Bob Myers and Co. will be able to bring back.
If Durant does indeed take the max, the Warriors may have a very difficult time retaining the likes of Iguodala and Shaun Livingston (also a free agent) next season. If Durant were to take a slight cut below the max ($31 instead of $36 million), similar to what Draymond Green and Klay Thompson did with their deals, Golden State could use Bird Rights to re-sign Iguodala and Livingston above and beyond the cap, according to Kawakami. If he elected to do so, Durant would still be in line for another huge pay day two offseasons from now.
KD was mum when asked about those specifics by Kawakami, but said he believes everything will work out.
“Like I said I haven’t thought about it, but obviously you want to keep this group together,” Durant said. “We want to see how far we can go with this thing. I’m sure once the season’s over with, we’ll figure that stuff out, everybody. I’m sure it’ll all work out for the best.”
Finally, Durant was asked when he knew he had made the right decision to sign with Golden State instead of staying in Oklahoma City.
“Once I started just getting around the guys…once I got around the team and the organization and got on the road,” Durant said. “I think that was the first time, I was like all right this is me now, I’m here, I’m ready to be a part of this group, this organization. And I just really felt at home. Because it was really a mystery up until training camp and first preseason game and all that stuff. I didn’t really know what to expect.
“Once everything kind of got settled in, I knew this was the perfect place for me.”