NBA Free Agency 2017: 20 best players available
By John Buhler
Kevin Durant
Small Forward, Golden State Warriors
Could he do it again? Well, let’s hope not, because last summer was all sorts of ridiculous with Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the powerhouse Golden State Warriors, Yes, he won an NBA Championship and a finals MVP, but will Durant peace out on the Bay Area on a new deal?
Durant seems to like playing for Golden State and has taken quite the liking to the Bay Area. In short, Durant is not going anywhere this summer. That would be a total shocker if he went all one-and-done with Golden State. However, we could see him opt out of his deal with the Warriors anyway.
The logic behind doing so is that he could temporarily take less money so that it would better allow the Warriors to re-sign point guard Stephen Curry on a max contract, as well as bring back their two best rotational players. Small forward Andre Iguodala and point guard Shaun Livingston are also unrestricted free agents.
Voluntarily taking less is not exactly what the NBA Players’ Association fights for, but financial sacrifices are all part of the super team narrative. Though he could and probably will opt, don’t expect Durant to be taking his 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game anywhere but back to the Warriors for less money. The rich get richer thanks to kind folks taking hometown discounts.