Kevin Durant has declined his player option for the 2019/20 NBA season, which was worth $31.5 million, on his contract with Golden State Warriors and will officially become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
According to ESPN’s NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant’s business manager Rich Kleiman recently informed Golden State’s general manager, Bob Myers about the player’s decision. Wojnarowski adds that Kleiman and Durant are currently in New York City, where they are planning their approach to the free agency.
Following Durant’s ACL injury in NBA Finals, which will sideline him for the entire next season, many people thought that the 30-year-old All-Star might consider the possibility of accepting his player option. This would allow him to recover in familiar surroundings and then enter the free agency in the summer of 2020 when he is expected to recover fully. It seems, however, that Durant decided to stick with the plan he plotted before the injury and test the market.
Besides the Warriors, who are expected to offer Kevin Durant a five-year, $221 million max-contract, there are several other teams hoping to lure him despite the injury. It is believed that Durant will consider three of them: New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. Unlike Golden State, these other teams can offer him only a four-year, $164 million deal.
Durant averaged 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in the past regular season.
