Kevin Durant is worth a max contract, but he might not take one from the Golden State Warriors. ESPN reports that Durant is open to taking less money to help the Warriors keep key players this offseason.
If Durant wanted to get max contract money this offseason (upwards of $35 million), the Warriors would need to renounce their rights to free agents Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. But if Durant took less money (around $32 million), the Warriors would be able to use the bird rights to go over the cap to sign Iguodala, bring back Durant and still give Stephen Curry the new "supermax" contract (more than $200 million during a five-year span).
Durant hasn't made up his mind about what he plans to do, per the ESPN report, but he is open to taking less money to keep that Warriors core together. Durant has set his roots down in the Bay Area and has no interest in leaving.
If Durant doesn't take less money, the Warriors would likely lose both Iguodala and Livingston. Giving Durant a max deal would require the Warriors to surrender the bird rights to those players and free up the money need to max out Durant, who doesn't have any bird rights yet with the Warriors.
The Warriors have several pending free agents in addition to the ones mentioned above. JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo, Matt Barnes, Zaza Pachulia and David West are all set to hit the open market this offseason. If West wins a ring, he might elect to retire this offseason.
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