NBA insider spills beans on Kevin Durant's potential $120 million extension with the Suns
Future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant is currently eligible to sign a one-year extension with the Phoenix Suns heading into the 2024-25 season. Given that Durant still has two more years left on his contract heading into this season, if he and the Suns wait until next summer to finalize an extension, he would then be eligible to sign a two-year extension with the Suns, which would carry him through his 39th birthday.
While Durant has, of course, infamously switched teams during the offseason in the past, as Shams Charania explained on ESPN Friday morning, he has both publicly and privately indicated that he wants to remain with the Suns going forward.
Given that, it sounds as though it would be in the best interest of both Durant and the Suns to wait until next summer to hammer out an extension. As Charania explained on Friday's episode of NBA Today:
"He is extension eligible, but I'm told there will not be an extension there for Kevin Durant. He has two years left on his deal... He's only eligible for a one-year, $60 million extension this offseason before Monday's deadline, whereas next summer he's going to be eligible for a two-year, upwards of $120 million extension.
"... They've been focused on getting a deal done in the two-year range, not that one-year extension. Kevin Durant has expressed publicly and privately how much he loves Phoenix. The Suns obviously want this iteration of the team to work, and they're all in on this season."
"I'm not even thinking about it" - Kevin Durant fully focused on the 2024-25 NBA season ahead
While there has been a lot of talk among the NBA community regarding Kevin Durant's contract extension, the two-time champion is fully focused on the NBA season ahead.
After he and Devin Booker both captured gold for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Durant is eager to keep the momentum rolling with Phoenix this season. Following Thursday morning's shootaround leading up to the Suns' preseason showdown with the LA Lakers, he spoke to media members.
While Shams Charania indicated that the Suns and Durant are focusing on finalizing a two-year extension next summer, KD revealed that his focus is on the season ahead and playing out his contract.
"I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just going to play out my contract really, and just focus on that. Focus on the team. I haven’t even really had conversations with anybody about a contract. Trying to focus on basketball.”
“I’ve been blessed enough to be in this position for 18 years, so I’m not really focused on the money part of it... When the time comes, the time comes. Right now I got two seasons left on my deal so I’m going to focus on those two.”
Following the Suns' final preseason game on Thursday, Durant and the Suns will tip-off the regular season next Wednesday when they compete against the LA Clippers.