Golden State Warriors: 3 reasons Kevin Durant’s new contract is a great move
3. Warriors save some money
Durant continued his unselfish ways in free agency once again, opting for the 1+1 deal that’s become prominent with the likes of LeBron James in maximizing potential earnings.
The contract will pay KD $30 million, but if he had signed a three-year contract with a player option after the third, things could’ve played out a lot differently for owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.
Had Durant gone that route, it would’ve netted him $35.3 million this upcoming season, which would have subsequently pushed Golden State deeper into the luxury tax bill.
Because KD signed for what he did, the deal could save the Warriors $20 million in luxury tax payments.
The Kevin Durant contract is for $30M and $31.5M with a player option in year 2. The $5M Durant savings this year now offsets the $5.3M tax midlevel if Golden State elects to use it. Durant would save the Warriors $20M in projected luxury tax costs.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 1, 2018
This was certainly a generous move by Durant. Nobody would’ve criticized him for getting as much money as possible, especially with this money now going right back into the pockets of the billionaire owners.
There will most likely come a time where Golden State’s All-Star quartet will become too pricey to keep together, forcing the front office to choose who to keep and who to let wander off.
Durant’s continuous sacrifice of money pushes off that moment just a little bit, as it saves Lacob and Guber money in the present they may be willing to use in the future.
This example of sacrifice and deference to the team’s winning culture is not the main reason the Dubs were able to get DeMarcus Cousins for the taxpayer mid-level exception, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
With all the discounts certain Warriors are taking in the name of winning, the team may never have to break up, and with that could come a decade’s worth of dominance in the Bay Area.