Kevin Durant has put pen to paper on a new contract with the Houston Rockets, worth $90 million, far less than the maximum he asked for.
After months of speculation, Kevin Durant has chosen to re-sign with the Houston Rockets, extending his current contract for two years and $90 million.
Durant was traded from the Suns to the Rockets in June of this year, ending his disappointing tenure in Phoenix.
However, since Durant’s contract was expiring, there were concerns that he would have to take a $22 million pay cut to extend his contract with the Rockets.
Durant’s pay cut was necessary because the Rockets also want to extend Tali Eason’s contract soon. However, few fans expected him to take such a drastic cut.
After news broke that Kevin Durant would make $30 million less than the maximum amount he is eligible for, which is $120 million, several fans praised the superstar for being a team player.
“He looked at Armen Thompson and said, yeah, that’s all we need,” one die-hard Rockets fan wrote.
Another excited Rockets fan also shared this energy, saying, “Take advantage of the discount and help the organization set up to win! KD is the real deal!”
A longtime Kevin Durant fan put this in perspective, pointing out, “Leaving this kind of money on the table is no joke. Bron would never do that.”
Meanwhile, another fan reminded everyone of Durant’s age, adding, “KD secured $45 million in guaranteed money for his age 39 season…I don’t know if you could call that a selfless sacrifice.”
A pessimistic Rockets fan had to remind everyone of their situation, writing, “Without Fred, none of this matters much. The Rockets will be fine, but they can’t win everything.”
Now that the Houston Rockets have re-signed Kevin Durant, they’ve made their intentions clear – they intend to compete for NBA championships for years to come.
Durant’s first season may not be as successful as All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet will miss the season with a torn ACL.
But this extension means Durant will be with the team until at least 2028, if not beyond that. So the Rockets clearly believe he’ll be in the title mix beyond this season.
The Rockets definitely have a chance to compete for a title this year, but without VanVleet they narrowly lose to the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.