Kevin Durant will take nearly $7 million pay cut to keep the Warriors together

After re-signing Stephen Curry and locking in a core for the next few years, the Warriors have brought back the final domino to their potential dynasty. Golden State will re-sign Finals MVP Kevin Durant to a two-year deal worth around $53 million, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.

Durant makes $25 million in Year 1, according to the Bay Area News Group’s Anthony Slater. That salary comes in at about $1.5 million less than he made last season and almost $10 million less than the $34 million max the Warriors could have offered.

Durant has a player option on Year 2 and can opt out of the 2018-19 season to re-sign with the Warriors for a longer-term max contract.

The Warriors signed Durant last summer, adding to a team that had just won a record 73 regular season games en route to the NBA Finals. The four-time scoring champion became the linchpin of their efforts on both ends of the court, winning Finals MVP on one of the most efficient scoring performances in NBA history to deliver Golden State its second championship in three seasons.

This all-but solidifies a Warriors dynasty

Golden State already made sure to take care of Curry, inking its star point guard to a five-year “supermax” deal worth $201 million. But there was concern other teams could pry some of the Warriors’ supporting cast away.

Andre Iguodala was listening to offers from San Antonio and Philadelphia, and Shaun Livingston could have been targeted after coming off the bench in yet another championship system. But because Durant agreed to take less money, Golden State ownership can avoid a hefty luxury tax bill.

The Warriors eventually signed Livingston to a three-year, $24 million deal, then brought back Iguodala on a three-year, $48 million pact. With Draymond Green and Klay Thompson locked into contracts for the next two seasons, the reigning champs could become usual suspects in the Finals for the foreseeable future.