When Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors last summer, he only signed a two-year deal where he could opt out after the first year.
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His successful first year with the Warriors is coming to a close, and Durant decided to end any rumors about leaving the franchise in the offseason during an appearance on the Warriors Plus/Minus podcast with Marcus Thompson and Tim Kawakami.
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"Obviously I'm thinking about the playoffs right now, so I haven't thought about it that much," Durant said. "But I don't plan on going anywhere else. Obviously you want to keep this group together. We want to see how far we can go with this thing, but I'm sure once the season is over with, we'll figure that stuff out, everybody. I'm sure it will all work out for the best."
Durant is set to make just under $28 million next season if he opts in, but it's more likely that he decides to opt out and signs a new deal for more money with the Warriors.
The Warriors won't have the money to sign Durant to a max deal, so he'll have to play for less than he could make elsewhere. But after his decision to leave money on the table by bolting Oklahoma City for Golden State, it appears as if Durant is fine with that outcome.
Stephen Curry will also be a an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and so will Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. So the Warriors might be forced to let one or both of their key bench players sign elsewhere to create room for Durant and Curry.
Here's the full interview with Durant on the Warriors Plus/Minus podcast:
Durant averaged 25.1 points per game in 62 games this season, which is his lowest scoring output since his rookie year. However, he did average a career high in rebounds with 8.3 per game, and the Warriors won 67 games, which led the NBA.
(h/t Sporting News)
