Golden State’s Durant discount ends this year

The Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant agreed to a discounted rate last off-season — two years, US$51 million with a player option after one season — so the team could afford to keep other pieces in place, such as forward Andre Iguodala and backup point guard Shaun Livingston.

The nine-time NBA All-Star made much less (around $9 million annually) than he could have had he signed a max contract. Heck, he took a $1.5 million pay cut from the season before, which is something you don’t see too often from a star player in his prime.

But the Durant Discount Days are coming to an end. According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, the reigning NBA Finals MVP plans to opt out of his contract so he can work out a new deal with Golden State.

This was the plan all along, so long as things didn’t go south between Durant, 29, and the team he joined in 2016. They haven’t: Even with teammate Stephen Curry labouring through injuries that have limited him to 51 games, the Warriors still coasted to the NBA’s third-best record.

“I’m sure here soon I’ll want to sign a long-term deal just to feel stable,” Durant told the Athletic in March.

“But I’m enjoying every moment of it, so I’m not trying to look too far down the line.”

Haynes says Durant has a number of options in front of him, including another two-year deal at an increased salary with a player option after the first year, opening up the possibility of Durant signing the biggest contract in NBA history in 2019.

Whatever Durant decides to do, it almost certainly will result in him playing in the Bay Area next season. Unless ...

“Well, actually,” Durant joked to the Athletic, “I want to wait to see who wins the championship and whoever wins that, that’s who I’m going to sign with.”