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We’ve known for quite a while that Kevin Durant will return to the Golden State Warriors. Still, every reminder is a good reminder.
Free agency is right around the corner - things get started on July 1. And before that date, potential free agents with options need to decide what to do. For Durant, the one-plus-one contract he signed in the summer of 2017 means that he has a player option for the upcoming season.
If Durant opts in, he will be on a one-year contract worth $26.3 million. If he does nothing, he will become a free agent, and can sign any contract that he wishes. According to reports, Durant has informed the team that he will not opt into the contract, and will thus enter free agency. Once there, he intends to sign a new contract with the Warriors in the early stages of the free agent craziness.
Just to clarify on Kevin Durant: Friday's deadline compels Durant to opt IN on his $26.3 million for next season if he chooses, but league sources say he has already informed the Warriors that he will let the deadline pass quietly so he can become a free agent July 1
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 25, 2018
Durant has said repeatedly that he intends to stay with Golden State after the market opens July 1, with sources close to the process saying that an agreement on a new deal with the Warriors is expected in the early stages of free agency https://t.co/6ms7QepiiS
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 25, 2018
It will certainly be interesting to see what contract the two sides agree on. The team has made it very clear that they will pay Durant whatever he wants, while Durant has openly spoken about possibly taking a discount, to make it easier to retain players like Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Either way, Durant will be back in the Bay next season. That’s not breaking news, but it’s certainly good news.