Durant free, but will stay
Kevin Durant declined to opt in for the second year of his contract with Golden State and will become an unrestricted free agent, an expected move for the NBA Finals MVP who said he plans to do his part to keep the core of the champion Warriors intact to chase more titles.
A person with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed Durant’s intentions yesterday, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.
When the season ended, Durant made it clear he plans to stay with the Warriors. The 28-year-old Durant was due to earn more than $27.7 million for 201718 yet said he would go this route to provide the franchise with financial flexibility so Golden State general manager Bob Myers might be able to retain other key members of the group — like key reserve and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala — for what everyone hopes is another special postseason run next year. Then Durant could receive his max deal a year from now.
Durant now will need to begin working out a new deal once the free agency period begins at midnight tonight, but might wait to see how things play out with his free agent teammates before signing. He is expected to gain a 20 percent raise over the $26.5 million he made last season and would earn about $31.8 million. Durant had a deadline of yesterday to make his decision.
“It means a lot. It just shows the commitment when a guy’s willing to take less, the commitment to the team,” Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green said Wednesday. “You look at the situation, sometimes you have to do that in order to make things work. I took less so we could go and get Kevin. And it worked out. If you want to keep great teams, keep everything aligned, sometimes you have to do that. You have to be willing to sacrifice.” Two-time MVP Stephen
Curry also has indicated while he is thrilled to be up for a major raise with a new super-max deal, which could put him at the $205 million mark, he also is committed to winning for the long haul and shares Durant’s teamfirst philosophy.
Midnight Holiday
Guard Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Pelicans have scheduled a meeting for midnight tonight, a person familiar with the situation said.
The 27-year-old Holiday has spent the past four seasons with New Orleans since being acquired in a trade with Philadelphia, where he spent his first four seasons. Because Holiday last played for New Orleans, NBA rules allow the Pelicans to offer him a five-year contract, one year more than other teams.
Holiday averaged 15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 67 games last season.
Re-signing Holiday “is our priority. Make no mistake about it,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said after the season ended.
Diversity leaders
A diversity report shows the NBA “significantly ahead” again in professional sports in racial and gender hiring practices.
The league received an A for racial hiring and a B for gender hiring practices for the 2016-17 season. The NBA drew an overall grade of A-minus, continuing its run of A grades since the start of the 2000s.
The report card was released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. The report was written by Richard Lapchick.
The NBA sets the pace, with people of color making up 30 percent of the head coaches and 45 percent of the assistants. The NBA is also the first major sports league to have three owners of color.
Report cards are also issued for the NFL, MLB, WNBA, MLS and college sports.
“They have been significantly ahead of the other leagues from the time we started it in the 1980s,” said Lapchick, the chair of University of Central Florida’s sports business management program who also worked at Northeastern. . . .
The Detroit Pistons have hired Rex Walters as an assistant coach. The Pistons also named Rob Werdann coach of the Grand Rapids Drive, and agreed to a two-year extension with the Drive as their G League affiliate. Walters spent last year as coach of the Drive.