Kevin Durant and Rockets in Contract Talks, But No Deal Yet
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Friday that Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets have started talking about a contract extension, but they haven’t reached an agreement yet.
“The Rockets and Durant have had discussions about a new contract and there is belief they will come to terms, sources said, but they’ve yet to come to an agreement,” Windhorst wrote.
He added that Durant, like LeBron James, is “no longer viewed as a centerpiece” as Houston focuses on building around its young talent.
Houston grabbed Durant from the Phoenix Suns on July 6 in a massive seven-team trade, giving up Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in the deal.
Durant turns 37 next month and will make $54.7 million in the 2025-26 season – the final year of his current $194.21 million contract that he signed with Brooklyn back in 2021.
But extending Durant isn’t at the top of the Rockets’ to-do list right now.
“There’s not a sense of urgency to get it done right now. The Rockets have other business that they need to handle this summer,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on August 13.
What’s more important to Houston? Getting Tari Eason locked up with a rookie extension before the October 21 deadline.
MacMahon called Durant “a potential final piece that they needed to be a real-deal contender, that go-to guy they were sorely missing last season.”
Don’t Expect a Max Deal
If Houston does offer Durant an extension, don’t count on it being the full two-year, $122 million maximum he could get.
“The Rockets aren’t gonna go all-in, by all appearances and by what I’ve heard, they’re not going all-in on an extension for Kevin Durant,” MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective podcast.
There have been whispers that Durant might not push for the maximum amount anyway.
“I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max,” MacMahon continued. “I think the Rockets are – like it’s not ideal – but I don’t think they’d panic if they go into the season with Kevin Durant just on the contract that he’s on, just on the expiring.”
Windhorst backed this up, saying Durant will probably need to accept “less than a maximum contract, which he has been on since 2011” if he wants to stay in Houston.
Durant was still playing at an elite level last season with Phoenix. In 62 games, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting an impressive 52.7% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc.
