Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets have agreed on a two-year, $90 million contract extension right before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Durant's max contract extension was worth about $120 million, so this deal represents a sacrifice of about $30 million. The 15-time All-Star now has three years and $144.7 million on his contract thanks to this extension, with a player option for the 2027-28 season. He's going to make $54.7 million this season.
The Rockets acquired Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns this offseason that ultimately incorporated seven teams. Houston traded Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (the Suns picked Khaman Malauch) and multiple second-round picks to get Durant.
There was always a belief that Durant would sign an extension with the Rockets, but there was question about the size of the deal. While Durant is still an elite player, he just turned 37 years old and has dealt with a number of injury issues in recent years, which contributed to the disappointment in Phoenix. With Houston building up an impressive young core, including players like Amen Thompson (will be seeking a max extension next summer) and Tari Eason (seeking an extension right now), KD is taking a pay cut to help keep the group together.
Even with this sacrifice, Durant is now the NBA's all-time leader in career salary when taking future earnings into account. KD is now in line to be at $598.2 million in career earnings, passing LeBron James' $583.9 million.
What's next for Kevin Durant, Rockets?
The Rockets were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Houston knew its offense needed a boost to become a legit championship contender, and Durant rumors swirled around them for a long time before the trade finally happened.
While Fred VanVleet's torn ACL in the offseason was a setback for the Rockets, they still have designs on competing in the loaded Western Conference. A healthy Durant would go a long way toward making that happen. The 37-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7% from the field and 43.0% from 3-point range in 62 games for the Suns last season.
Houston was busy this offseason before this Durant extension, reaching new deals with VanVleet, Steven Adams, Jabari Smith Jr. and head coach Ime Udoka while poaching Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie in free agency.
The Rockets will start the 2025-26 season against Durant's first team, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, on Tuesday night.
