Kevin Durant is entering the final season of his current contract, paying him $54.7 million, and part of what he was looking for in a landing spot was a team willing to pay him a healthy extension off that contract. The Houston Rockets are willing to do that.
However, there is no urgency on either side to get this extension done, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said earlier this week on NBA Today.
“There’s not a sense of urgency to get it done right now. The Rockets have other business that they need to handle this summer. … I think you’re going to see both sides take a patient approach. They will work together. I don’t think this is an urgent situation, and even if they get to camp, even if they get to the start of the season. If it’s not done, I don’t think you’re going to see panic from either side. They want to work together, they want to position themselves to win a championship.”
The deal is going to get done, the only question is money. MacMahon echoed what we have written about previously: This is not going to be a contract for the two-year, $122 million max, and the question is what number will it be? $100 million? Less? (No team can offer Durant more than two years on a contract due to the over-38 rule.)
Whatever that number ends up being, we’re a long way from any serious drama about an extension being reached. Both sides want to get a deal done, and technically they have until June 30, 2026, to work it out. Until we get to around the All-Star break, there’s not much to stress over.