Kevin Durant Could Re-Sign With Warriors, Greenberg Explains Why

Kevin Durant and the will he or will he not leave the Golden State Warriors question is likely to continue well into next summer but there are differing views all across the board.

A number of experts believe this will be the small forward’s final season with the Bay Area team, while there are as many that feel he will sign a long-term deal with the Warriors and remain a part of basketball’s newest dynasty.

Durant was criticized when he ditched the Oklahoma City Thunder to join Stephen Curry’s bandwagon in Oakland, but he has more than held his own. He played a key role in helping them win back-to-back NBA titles – the two NBA Finals MVP awards are proof enough of that.

He has spoken about his future and insisted he is happy for the moment and the reason he signed a short-term deal is to have more control over his future. Golden State of Mind spoke to NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg and he is of the opinion that Durant is in a happy place at the moment. He is on the ‘Durant will remain a Warrior’ boat but admitted no one will know the truth until next summer when the player himself decides.

Greenberg believes the Warriors forward is more than content to play the team game and be “one of the guys” and is certain that he is not desperate to have his own team.

“We’re going to hear speculation and rumors until July. But I think that KD is pretty darn happy basketball wise. He has tried to tell us many times that he’s happy to be one of the guys,” Greenberg said. “He doesn’t really want to be the man or to carry a team, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a matter of where he wants to be. In the Bay Area, he’s finding joy and happiness on and off the court, pretty darn content.”

“If they win the championship, why not return? Or maybe the game will be too easy for him and he’ll yearn for a challenge. No matter what, he doesn’t care what you and I think and that’s good for him,” he added.

The signs are Durant will stay especially after he revealed during a recent interview that money is on his mind. The Warriors star, who is considered among the top five players in the league at the moment, is not happy there are players less deserving earning more than him.

Durant is the tenth highest paid NBA star and there are a number of players with no championships or MVP titles getting paid more.

Based on that, it could be that he will sign a new long-term deal with the Warriors when he opts out next summer as they will be able to offer him a five-year supermax worth $221 million, while as an unrestricted free agent he can only earn a four-year deal worth $164 million from other interested franchises.