Durant signs 2/90 extension with Houston

[RyderMike]

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[FrodoBaggins]

They've liked what they've seen from him. Making an investment.

[Chuck Everett]

Should have been 2/60-70. Too much bread for him at this stage.

[dans1230]

Should have been 2/60-70. Too much bread for him at this stage.

Why would he have signed that?
The Rockets have gone all in over the next few seasons, locking him up was a no brainer.
Keep him around 32 mpg, and let him get you 26/6/4, and watch Thompson blossom into an all NBA talent.

[Pointgod]

This is a no brainer on both sides.

[bonita_the_frog]

Should have been 2/60-70. Too much bread for him at this stage.

Durant won't be declining anytime soon... last season he averaged 26.6 points, .527 field, .430 threes, 1.2 blocks.

He's a better shooter in his old age, than he was back in the OKC days.
Because he's so tall, and shoots so great, he doesn't need mobility...

And the last 2 years he played 75 games and 62 games, which are his 2 best years of attendance since missing the entire 2019-20 season.

[chilluminati]

It's a no brainer, but it's also a bit of an overpay for someone his age. But what else could they do? Durant wouldn't have taken anything less than what he was asking for. But they went all in on him being the offensive engine, so you gotta pay the man regardless if he's gonna be making 45M at 39. Age doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna fall off. It's risky for sure, but considering what they gave up it's not too big of a deal I guess?

[ball_takes23]

I believe the max was 2/120, I was expecting between 2/100-110, so getting it down to 90 is a pretty significant saving for the rockets. No chance KD signs for anything lower than that and you don’t trade the 10 pick just to let kd walk. They are taking a risk on a player who will be 39 but they were not going anywhere anyways in the next two years with the way that roster was constructed.

[Sane]

That’s like a $15m paycut per season. Awesome.

[JJ_PR]

He actually gave Houston a $30 million discount to help them financially. Houston is going to be one of the best teams in the West.

[Zeno]

I wonder what the real dollar difference between the Butler and Durant contracts is. This is probably the same as him getting max in California. Either way, anyone that thinks this is an overpay is not understanding that there was zero chance he was taking less than this.

[FrodoBaggins]

Houston has had an offseason, training camp, and preseason to gauge KD. It's clear they feel confident his body can hold up to give them that championship edge.

[bonita_the_frog]

Durant put the ball on the floor in past years, whereas now he's more of shooter, so almost impossible for him to sustain a serious injury.
He'll give you 25-27ppg for the next 5 years without risking injury.
And he loves basketballs so much, he'll play well into his mid40s.
He scores easier than anyone in NBA history, so he'll easily defeat fathertime.

[Harry Palmer]

Still don’t get trading Cam and am probably higher on Jalen Green than most, but there can be no doubt that Stone is amongst the very best GMs in the league, and is leading the way for a new longer-term economic perspective when signing contracts for even his biggest stars. Anyone saying the Rockets paid too much here has a highly unrealistic view of the league/sakaries/KDs value.

Because although there were rumours that the Rockets had made it plain to KD from before the deal that they weren’t going to back up the truck for him if that meant compromising their ability to extend their young core, almost every prediction I saw from NBA talking heads was higher still than this, though some were at least in the ballpark.

[MavsDirk41]

I think Reed Sheppard has a big year (winning NBA MIP award), Jabari Smith takes another leap, and Houston is top 3 in the west with Denver and OKC. This was the right move by Houston, make Durant happy. They were missing a go to player who could take over down the stretch offensively. Jalen Green isnt that guy, we know Durant is. Its now or never for Durant though. I think they move some of their forward/center depth for a SG before the trade deadline.

[NyKnicks1714]

I'm telling you, KD is going to play forever

[bonita_the_frog]

i don't think its "now or never" for Durant. Every team in the NBA wants him, so he'll always get a chance at winning rings.
It really comes down to his wisdom in choosing the a team that won't make dumb front office decisions (as Phoenix did).
If Houston start making mistakes, Durant will move on to the next contender...
Durant is the luckiest person on earth, talented enough to score 25+ppg all the way to age 50.

[TrueFan420]

It's a no brainer, but it's also a bit of an overpay for someone his age. But what else could they do? Durant wouldn't have taken anything less than what he was asking for. But they went all in on him being the offensive engine, so you gotta pay the man regardless if he's gonna be making 45M at 39. Age doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna fall off. It's risky for sure, but considering what they gave up it's not too big of a deal I guess?

His first year of his extension will have him below Sabonis and above OG in the 27-30 range. Not taking into account new extensions. That’s damn good value for him. Sure, he’s old and could drop off but he’s shown he’s still playing at a high lvl. With his height and scoring even if he falls off a cliff defensively, he will provide value. Worst case they have an expiring to use as bait.

[pipfan]

I really like the Rockets chances this year-could upset OKC and win a title this year

[NO-KG-AI]

He’ll end up mad about something and want out before it ends anyway.