Keeping Kevin Durant
With players like Kevin Durant, there’s no analysis. If you can get them to agree for your team, you get an A. Would the Warriors have liked a longer commitment? Sure. Another $10 million discount? Of course. But to posit that they should have negotiated a better deal with the back-to-back Finals MVP and best all-around player on the planet would be to not understand how the NBA works.
With that being said, the Warriors still made out nicely here. While a longer commitment from Durant would bring peace of mind, he did agree to less than his one-year max of $35.6 million by choosing instead to attach a second-year player option.
From Durant’s perspective, the decision seems like a wash. Sacrifice $5.6 million now, hedge against serious injury in the coming season. Perhaps reducing Golden State’s tax bill was a tie-breaker in his mind, perhaps not. Either way, Durant has signed a one-year deal with the Warriors for the third straight year, and for the third straight year, everybody wins.
Grade: A