Speaking to reporters on Thursday, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns star Kevin Durant downplayed the possibility of signing a one-year, $59.5MM extension prior to Monday’s deadline. Durant can only tack on one year to his current contract due to the Over-38 rule.
“I’m not even thinking about it,” Durant said after Thursday’s shootaround. “I’m just going to play out my contract really, and just focus on that. Focus on the team. I haven’t even really had conversations with anybody about a contract. Trying to focus on basketball.”
Durant, who became the first men’s basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals over the summer, will earn $51.8MM in 2024/25, followed by $54.7MM in ’25/26.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), there’s a “strong likelihood” that Durant will hold off on extension talks until next offseason, when he’d be eligible to sign a two-year, $123.8MM extension.
Durant, 36, is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, with 14 All-Star nods, 11 All-NBA appearances, four scoring titles, an MVP, two championships, and two Finals MVPs on his résumé.
In 75 regular season games last season, the 6’11” forward averaged 27.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .523/.413/.856 shooting (37.2 MPG).