The rollercoaster Kevin Durant trade saga is almost as entertaining as the NBA Finals themselves. Fortunately, the San Antonio Spurs are one of the three teams he prefers to play for and, in fact, may be the only team he will sign a contract extension for.
Via @Gambo987 of Arizona Sports radio 98.7 FM saying people in Kevin Durant’s camp are eyeing San Antonio as a likely landing spot. #PorVida #NBA #SanAntonio pic.twitter.com/aoriqAOH0g
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) June 4, 2025
A Durant trade to the Spurs would inevitably come with a contract extension, as he would be eligible for a 2-year, $112 million extension. The number that he would ultimately sign for has been the subject of great debate among Spurs fans.
Many were hoping that he would take an extension for around $30 million to $35 million a season. That's highly unlikely, but it's not out of the question for him to take a slight pay cut to facilitate a big trade to the Spurs.
What would a Kevin Durant contract extension look like?
A two-year $100 million extension for Durant would be a realistic contract for Durant. This is considering that he would still be taking a big pay cut, with him eligible for a $112 million extension now and a $124 million extension later.
Paying him $50 million annually would make him far and away the team's highest-paid player, but it might not be as off-putting as it might seem. The main reason that Vassell would likely be included in the trade is that he is under contract for the next four seasons, which would pay him $27 million on average.
His contract would run one year longer than a Durant extension and would mean that the Spurs would only be paying $23 million more on average. For Durant, that would well be worth it, assuming that he can maintain his high level of play for the three years he'd be under contract with the Spurs.
Can the Spurs afford to pay Kevin Durant?
That would be relatively affordable since his contract wouldn't overlap with a Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper extension. It would also only overlap with a Wembanyama rookie max extension and a De'Aaron Fox extension for one season.
With any luck, if the Spurs are able to get KD, they could convince Fox to take less than his 4-year, $229 million max. Even if he were to take a 4-year, $210 million contract, that would save the team $4.75 million a season.
Combine that with a potential Durant pay cut, and the Spurs would be paying almost $10 million less to those two players during the 2027-28 season, when Fox, Durant, and Wembanyama's contracts would overlap.
All told, the Spurs appear to be in the driver's seat in the Durant trade sweepstakes. If and hopefully when Durant is ultimately traded to the Spurs, he may be willing to take a pay cut to make a super team with Fox and Wembanyama possible.