Kevin Durant spoke for the first time since signing a two-year, $51.2 million contract this offseason, in a wide ranging interview with Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Durant signed for nearly $10 million less than he could’ve in order to keep the Warriors’ core together, something that was met with both praise and criticism.
Durant went in depth regarding his reasoning for taking such a significant pay cut, telling Slater that all of his teammates were underpaid and deserved more money.
“Well, I’m a smart guy and I want to keep this thing going, and looking at Andre (Iguodala) and Shaun (Livingston) and Steph (Curry), they all should make the most money that they can make and get what they deserve,” Durant said. “Because they were all underpaid, and I knew at some point they’d want to get what they deserve.
“So I just took a step back and let the chips fall where they may. Then I took it in my hands. I wanted to keep the team together, and I thought it was going to help the ownership bring all the guys back. And on top of that, it’s my money. It’s my decision. I can do what the hell I want with it.”
Durant also gave his two cents on what he believes motivated the outspoken critics.
“They only (criticized) it because it’s the Warriors and it’s me and they love to hate anything we do right now,” Durant said. “A lot of players have (taken pay cuts). It wasn’t that I wanted the praise. I’ve learned from Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki and how it has helped them over the years, and I thought, if they did it, why can’t I? Why shouldn’t I sacrifice? People wanted the money to break us up, and I didn’t want that to happen.”
The Warriors dominance led to a lively free agent period, with multiple teams making splash signings and attempting to stockpile stars. Durant said that he believes that this trend is beneficial for the league as a whole.
“You’re just seeing a lot of these GMs buckling down and saying, ‘You know what, let’s swing for the fences. Let’s see what we can do. Anything can happen.’ You gotta respect it,” Durant said. “Before, you’ve seen GMs be conservative, try to save money or build through the draft every year. Just try to be OK. But teams aren’t just settling for that. They’re trying to win and trying to win now, and they want to put the best players together.
“It’s a great league, and you want to see the best players on the biggest stage. Why not see the best players? All of them on a few teams. Why not see that? That’s what this league is about. It’s star-driven, and it’s good to see that the stars dictate how the league is supposed to go. Then the next group of stars will do the same and the same after that. I think that’s what we’re starting.”