Kevin Durant Will Reportedly Sign A Two-Year Deal To Stay With The Warriors


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If not for the presence of LeBron James, Kevin Durant would be seen, at least by many, as the best player in the NBA and the reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP hit the unrestricted free agent market beginning at 12:01 am ET on July 1. However, Durant was never seen as a serious flight risk from Oakland and, in the end, the 29-year-old forward decided to ink a new contract to remain with the Warriors.

Marc Stein of The New York Times reported on Saturday that Durant will ask the Warriors for another two-year deal, with a second year player option to remain with the team for at least one more season.

That was confirmed by Chris Haynes of ESPN shortly after, making this an all-but official deal for when the moratorium period ends on July 6.

Durant averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season and he converted a remarkable 41.9 percent of his three-point attempts while taking full advantage of the space Golden State’s offense provides. Though there was some parade-driven awkwardness with regard to his next contract, various members of the Warriors organization (including Durant himself) indicated a desire to make it work moving forward and, frankly, that made this particular move a no-brainer.

Stein reported shortly after midnight that the two-year deal is projected to be worth $61.5 million if Durant picks up his option for the second year.

Moving forward, there will be plenty of interesting decisions for Golden State’s front office, particularly once Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are in line for monetary raises that could create serious luxury tax concerns. Still, Durant is on board once again and that makes the Warriors a pretty safe bet to compete for a fourth NBA Championship over a five-year period.