By Daniel Mano
The Mercury News
Kevin Durant reportedly is declining his player option for the 2017-18 NBA season with the intention of re-signing with the Warriors.
This development, first reported by ESPN’s Chris Haynes, was the first step sketched out by Tim Kawakami of Bay Area News Group in a column on how Golden State can return all its key players.
Durant opted out of about $28 million to become a free agent briefly — but plans on rejoining the team — in an effort to help resign sixth-man extraordinaire Andre Iguodala, according to Haynes. That motivation was anticipated by Kawakami, as well, and makes sense considering the idea floating around NBA teams that Iguodala could actually be lured away from the Warriors for more money.
Durant reportedly plans to take about $4 million less than the maximum he is eligible for as a 10-year veteran, giving Golden State flexibility with its cap space. Specifically, the Warriors could use their Bird rights on Iguodala for a more affordable deal than what he might obtain on the open market.
Haynes reported that Durant is expected to ink another two-year contract with a player option on the second year, much like the one he is opting out of this offseason.
KD has repeatedly shared that his intentions are to stay with the Warriors into the future.
“I feel as though I am going to be back here — no question,” Durant said last week. “We’ll all figure something out, work something out. I want to be here. We just won a championship, man. Let’s see if we can do it again. Feels weird saying that. But winning a championship is the ultimate goal. But it’s easy for me to say that now. Hopefully we get it done.”
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