Kevin Durant’s suspected Achilles injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals could have a major impact on how his free agency will play out this summer.
Here are a few scenarios:
- Durant could exercise his player option and stay one more year with the Warriors, getting paid $31.5 million as he rehabs.
- He could take a cue from his teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, and seek a one-year deal if teams seem hesitant to invest in him.
- Or he could move forward pursuing a max deal. Even if he is out a year, the 30-year-old is still plenty young — and plenty great at basketball — to return to the court well worth that max money. And do you really want to be known as the team that said “Thanks but no thanks” to KD while he’s still in his prime?
