Kevin Durant took a huge discount to re-sign with the Warriors in 2017. Even after expressing reluctance about taking more discounts, he again took less than his max possible salary last summer (though he could have gotten the max only by locking in for multiple years instead of the 1+1 deal he took).
As for free agency next summer…
Durant on Posted Up With Chris Haynes, as transcribed by Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“I just want to make sure I get as much money as I can on my next deal so I can stack up my money and figure it out,” Durant said on Posted Up with Chris Haynes. “That’s just the plan. Play basketball and stack money.”
If Durant wants to earn the highest salary, he’ll re-sign with the Warriors. Their max for him projects to be about $221 million over five years (about $44 million annually). His max with another team projects to be about $164 million over four years (about $41 million annually).
But maybe he means just getting as much as possible once he decides where to go. And, hey, the marketing possibilities in New York would be huge – even bigger than Durant playing in the Bay Area.
Still, before the Knicks rumors kicked into high gear, there was talk of Durant re-signing for five years with Golden State. Maybe that max-dollar, max-length possibility warrants more attention.