Phoenix Suns superstar forward, and 14-time All-Star Kevin Durant has decided not to sign a contract extension this offseason.
Durant will instead take his chances next summer, where he has an opportunity to ink a longer extension.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Durant’s decision.
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“I’m told there will not be an extension there for Kevin Durant,” Charania said.
“That’s really where (Durant’s) and the Suns’ focus has been. They’ve both been focused on getting a deal done in a two-year range, not that one-year extension. Kevin Durant has expressed publicly and privately how much he loves Phoenix. The Suns obviously want this iteration of this team to work and they’re all-in on this season.”
The deadline for Durant to sign the extension is on Monday, which is a one-year deal worth $59.7 million. The deal would take his contract through the 2026-27 season. As things stand, Durant is signed through the 2025-26 season.
The one-year extension that Durant is eligible for was the maximum the Suns could’ve offered the 36-year-old because of the Over-38 rule. The Over-38 rule in the NBA closes a loophole that prevents teams from paying older free agents more than their cap room or cap exceptions allow. It also limits the ability of players in their mid-to late-30s to sign long-term contracts.
It was formerly known as the Over-36 rule.
Durant will enter his second full season with Phoenix after they acquired him at the 2023 trade deadline. The Suns traded for Durant and forward T.J. Warren in a blockbuster trade with the Boorkln Netsb. In exchange, the Suns sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Jae Crowder, four unprotected future first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029), and a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Nets.
Although Durant is older, he has shown no sign of slowing down. In his time in Phoenix, he has averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from three in 83 total games.
Last season was one of Durant’s healthiest seasons in a while; however, that wasn’t the case for the entire Suns team, especially their core. Many of their key players, like BradleyBeal, missed significant time, which resulted in their sixth-seed finish last season.
That’s all behind the Suns now. The focus is to get Durant another title in his illustrious career, and they believe they have as good a shot as anyone. The Suns have the star power and the role players to be one of the best teams in the league.
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