Suns All-Star Kevin Durant Makes Contract Extension Decision: Report

Phoenix Suns superstar forward and 14-time All-Star Kevin Durant has decided not to sign a contract extension this offseason.

Instead, Durant will take his chance next summer, where he will have the opportunity to agree to a longer extension.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Durant’s decision.

“I was told there will be no extension there for Kevin Durant,” Charania said.

“That’s really the focus of (Durant) and the Suns. They’ve both focused on getting a deal done within two years, not the one-year extension. Kevin Durant has expressed publicly and privately how much he loves Phoenix. The Suns obviously want this version of this team to work, and they’re all in on it this season.

The deadline for Durant to sign his contract extension is Monday. This is a one-year contract worth $59.7 million. The deal would extend his contract through the 2026-27 season. As things stand, Durant is under contract until the 2025/26 season.

The one-year extension Durant is eligible for was the maximum the Suns could have offered the 36-year-old due to the over-38 rule. The over-38 rule in the NBA closes a loophole that prevents teams from paying older free agents more than their cap room or cap exceptions allow. It also limits the ability of players in their mid-to-late 30s to sign long-term contracts.

It was previously known as the Over-36 rule.

Durant will begin his second full season with Phoenix after they acquired him at the 2023 trade deadline. The Suns traded Durant and forward TJ Warren to the Boorkln Netsb in a blockbuster trade. In return, the Suns sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder, four unprotected future first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029) and a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Nets.

Despite being older, Durant has shown no signs of slowing down. During his time in Phoenix, he averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 42.4 in a total of 83 games Percent shot from three balls.

Last season was one of Durant’s healthiest seasons in a long time; However, this did not apply to the entire Suns team, especially not to their core. Many of their key players, like BradleyBeal, missed significant time, which led to them finishing in sixth place last season.

That’s all behind the Suns now. The focus is on bringing Durant another title in his illustrious career and they believe they have as good a chance as anyone else. The Suns have the star power and role players to be one of the best teams in the league.

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