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Kevin Durant took quite a pay cut on his latest deal to keep the Warriors’ championship core together. His new deal is for two-years, $53 million, with the second year being a player option. Durant will now make $25 million next season, which is actually less than his 2016-2017 salary. In fact, it’s nearly $10 million less than the max the Warriors could have offered him for the upcoming season. That’s quite a pay cut.
This move was certainly a huge favor to the Warriors and to put it into perspective, here are all of the players who will be making more than the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Each of the following players listed have certainly earned what they will make next season; it’s just crazy that once again the arguable greatest player in the league will not be the highest paid. He won’t even be in the top 10.
Let’s first look at the contracts signed this summer:
Kyle Lowry: Lowry stayed in Toronto for three years, $100 million, and he’ll make $30.8 million next season.
Blake Griffin: Griffin just signed a new deal for five years, $173 million, and will make $29.7 million next season.
Paul Millsap: Millsap left Atlanta for Denver and signed a three-year, $90 million deal. He’ll make $28.5 million next season.
Stephen Curry: Yes, Curry took that supermax deal with Golden State. He signed for five years, $201 million, and he’ll bring in $34.6 million next season, playing alongside the NBA Finals MVP.
How about the rest of the league?
*Reminder, Kevin Durant will only make $25 million next year
LeBron James: $33,285,709
Mike Conley: $28,530,608
Russell Westbrook: $28,299,399
James Harden: $28,299,399
DeMar DeRozan: $27,739,975
Al Horford: $27,734,405
Carmelo Anthony: $26,243,760
Damian Lillard: $26,153,057
This just goes to show that Kevin Durant was willing to do a huge favor for the Warriors and Joe Lacob to make this work and keep the championship core together.