Just two days after Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors came to terms on the largest contract in NBA history, Kevin Durant has reportedly agreed to take a huge pay cut to remain with the organization. According to ESPN's Chris Haynes, Durant will re-sign with the Warriors for $53 million over two years with a player option after the first season.
Durant chose to bypass the new maximum contract, starting at $34.65 million per year, in order to give the Warriors some financial flexibility to ink their pivotal bench players. The franchise, in turn, used the additional money to sign Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston for a combined $24 million next season.
Durant's decision to take less money was probably a commendable move but completely unnecessary. A 2017 valuation conducted by Forbes lists the Warriors at $2.6 billion, twice as much as the average NBA team. The franchise also recently worked out a 20-year naming rights deal with Chase worth as much as $300 million for their new arena which is set to open in 2019. With the Big 4 of Durant, Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green returning after winning their second championship in three years, the Warriors will be practically printing money next season. So...why did Durant take a huge pay cut again?
The National Basketball Players Association negotiated the super max contract, so players like Durant would be eligible to receive the type of money they believe to be owed to them. If there's one important lesson LeBron James, the first vice president of the NBPA, learned during his time with the Miami Heat, it's that you don't take pay cuts to help out the team owner, even if it hurts your chances of teaming up with a good friend in the league. Get your money, KD, and let Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob figure it out from there.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
