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Both the Rockets and Kevin Durant plan for Houston to be his final NBA stop, Shams Charania reports. A contract extension could soon be in the works, and it might be for below the maximum salary.
At the moment, newly acquired forward Kevin Durant is only under contract for the 2025-26 NBA season. But the future Hall of Famer and his new team, the Houston Rockets, both clearly expect the partnership to continue beyond that.
On Monday’s The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN insider Shams Charania made it clear that all sides anticipate Houston being the final stop of Durant’s legendary career. The former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and 15-time NBA All-Star turns 37 years old in September.
And not only will the All-Star forward and two-time champion soon discuss an extension with the Rockets, but it might even be for less than the maximum salary.
Regarding a potential extension, here’s what Charania told McAfee:
I do expect Kevin Durant, his business manager, Rich Kleiman, and the Rockets to have formal discussions on an extension. I don’t know if it’ll be this week, but I expect at some point in July or August, that’s a conversation that will happen.
Kevin Durant is eligible for, I think, a two-year, $121-million extension. But will it be all of that, or a part of that? It would not surprise me to see… Kevin Durant is approaching this as a partnership. There’s a goal on both sides to end his career in Houston.
In the NBA now, what teams are dealing with is essentially some version of a hard (salary) cap. How can he make it easy on Houston, and how can Houston do right by him? I think that will be a conversation at some point this offseason.
Houston’s current roster will be getting more expensive in the years ahead. All-Star center Alperen Sengun will start the first season of his new contract in 2025-26, and Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Amen Thompson are among several members of the Rockets who are due for new contracts in subsequent seasons.
All of these second contracts are basically guaranteed to be more expensive than the rookie-scale deal that each began his NBA career on. In many cases, they will be significantly more expensive, as is the case with Sengun.
So, if Durant is willing to give a little bit of money back in his negotiations with the Rockets, that could help general manager Rafael Stone put the best possible team on the floor as Houston attempts to win its first NBA title in more than 30 years.
Time will tell as to exactly how much Durant is willing to give back, but the fact that Charania thinks it’s a possibility is a promising initial sign.
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