Although Kevin Durant's career is not over yet, the Phoenix Suns forward will one day ride off into the sunset. Whether he finishes his career with the Suns, though, remains to be seen. Durant can sign a one-year, $59.7 million extension with the Suns that would last through the 2026-27 season, and recently, Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein talked about the franchise's relationship with Durant and the possibility of an extension.
“The most important thing is Kevin loves being here, and we love having Kevin here,” Bartelstein said in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
“He’s focused on the Olympics, but we’re always having dialogue. The relationship is what matters the most. The relationship is in a great spot. I talk to (Durant’s agent) Rich Kleiman, who works with Kevin, all the time. Conversations are great not just on extension stuff, but on all things that have been going on.”
Durant became eligible to sign the extension on July 12th and would have until October 21st to sign it. Durant's current four-year, $194 million contract ends after the 2025-26 season.
Should Kevin Durant stay with the Suns long-term?
Last season, Durant started out hot but began to cool off towards the playoffs. In his first 58 games, Durant averaged 28.5 points per game on 52.9 percent shooting, but over the final 17 games, he averaged 22.4 points per game on 50 percent shooting, showing that fatigue was kicking in. That's because Durant played 2,791 minutes last year, his highest total since playing 3,122 minutes during the 2013-14 season.
The drop-off in scoring can also be attributed to how his former head coach Frank Vogel used Durant. KD was often seen standing in the corner on several offensive sets, which is simply a waste of his talent. Durant is at his best when being utilized in a variety of different ways, but that can be difficult when you are sharing the floor with Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. However, with Phoenix bringing in Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach, Durant and the Suns should see an offensive surge.
Budenholzer is no stranger to working with stars. While coaching the Milwaukee Bucks, Budenholzer optimized Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Khris Middleton to lead the Bucks past the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. He's expected to do the same in Phoenix, building an offense that maximizes Durant's multifaceted offensive game.
These changes and more time to gel with Booker and Beal are expected to give Durant and the Suns a better shot at a championship next season. If they win it all, it would be Durant's third title and the first in Phoenix's franchise history.
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