Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant is happy keeping his long-term options open while focusing on the present.
“I just want to take it a day at a time, and I don’t want to look at my future now,” Durant said of his new contract with Golden State, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. “The [one-plus-one] was the perfect thing for me to do, to keep things open for me—financially and what I want to do. It’s just one of those things.”
Charania noted Durant inked a two-year, $61.5 million deal with the two-time defending champions but possesses a player option for the 2019-20 campaign. The player option gives him the chance to either move elsewhere or sign another, potentially more lucrative deal with Golden State.
Durant has been the target of plenty of criticism for joining a loaded Warriors team after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, but it is impossible to take away from his on-court success in Golden State.
He helped the team win the last two NBA titles as the Finals MVP each time, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice. The presence of sharp-shooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the perimeter prevents opposing defenses from paying too much attention to Durant, which allows him to torch defenders in one-on-one situations.
The four-time NBA scoring champion averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this past season.
Durant will turn 30 years old before the 2018-19 campaign and figures to remain among the league’s top players. That means he will draw significant interest should he decline his option in a year, and there will likely be plenty of teams lining up to bring him aboard.
While Golden State is in the middle of a dynasty, things could be drastically different in a couple of seasons if Durant goes elsewhere. What’s more, Draymond Green is set for unrestricted free agency in 2020 and Thompson is set for unrestricted free agency in 2019.
Durant and the Warriors are the gold standard of the NBA heading into the 2018-19 season, but the long-term future isn’t guaranteed. Durant is apparently fine with that as long as his options are open.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
