Refusing to receive a maximum salary of 120 million and refusing to renew the contract in advance! The helpless superstar in the NBA is so old

Editor|Old Kankao Ball

This offseason, the NBA is really lively. The Warriors refused to give Kuming a contract renewal of $3,000, and the two sides broke up completely and fell into a deadlock. Golden State lost the opportunity to strengthen, which was considered a loss-making loss. The Hawks also refused to give Trae Young a four-year, $229 million in advance. The latter was disappointed with this, and the newly established championship lineup will be wasted again? The Lakers did not provide James with a maximum salary contract of 1+1 again this summer. The latter chose to execute the player option of 52.6 million in the last year, and his career is approaching the end.

Also as a superstar, Kevin Durant has once again ushered in a new career journey this offseason. The Houston Rockets reached an epic deal with the Suns and other teams, ushering in Durant, completely solving the biggest shortcoming of no one scoring at critical moments, and directly ranked among the strongest championship ranks in one fell swoop. Subsequently, the NBA League also gave face. In the officially announced new season schedule, Xiao Hua directly presented the opening match (Rockets vs. Thunder) and Christmas game (Rockets vs. Lakers) seats with both hands - this is a treatment that the Rockets have not seen in many years.

However, the biggest problem for the Rockets has not changed - they refuse to pay luxury taxes and the management is too stingy. This summer, General Manager Stone's operation was indeed great. Not only did he get the deal with the super giant Durant, he also signed Finney Smith ($53 million in four years) and Capela ($21.5 million in three years) at a reasonable price. It not only ended with that. He then cut his salary and renewed his contract with VanVleet ($50 million in two years, with an annual salary from 44 million to 25 million), and reduced his salary and renewed his contract with Jabarri Smith ($122 million in five years) and Adams ($39 million in three years), and renewed his contract with Tate, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday in one year, focusing on a cost-effective and cost-effective one.

However, Durant, who has joined the team, currently only has four years of a contract worth $194 million (US$53.28 million). According to the latest "38-year-old salary rules" issued by the NBA, Durant can only sign an early contract renewal of 2 years this summer - currently can sign US$122 million for 2 years, and US$124 million for 2 years after 6 months.

However, the response of Rockets general manager Stone surprised everyone: he refused to provide a maximum salary of 120 million yuan, and was not even in a hurry to renew his contract.

ESPN famous reporter Tim MacMahon revealed: " The Rockets management does not seem to be planning to renew Durant's contract with all their might, and it is unlikely that they will provide a quote contract close to the maximum salary. The management is calm, and even if KD enters the new season with an expiration contract, they will not panic."

In fact, behind the Rockets management's attitude of renewing contracts is so cautious, there is a very smart plan:

Inspection strategy: The team plans to observe the playing time and data of Durant, who is over 37 years old, in the new season Efficiency and cooperation with young players, then decide the contract amount;

Risk avoidance: avoid repeating the sudden decline in the state of veterans such as Westbrook and Bill, especially considering that in order to get KD, the Rockets have paid the price of Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, 5 second round picks and 2025 No. 10 picks;

Salary elasticity: retain salary space to renew new stars such as Amen Thompson and Ethan, and ensure that the team's long-term salary structure does not exceed the second rich line. The salary statement shows that the total salary of the current nine players with guaranteed contracts in the Rockets has reached $140 million in 2026, and the total expenditure will soar to $210 million with the luxury tax penalty.

And the most intriguing thing is that Durant and his team did not insist on asking for a maximum salary. Obviously, for the superstar whose career total revenue has exceeded $350 million, the significance of the last big contract has given way to his desire for a championship. "If the salary cut can help the Rockets build a championship lineup, he will definitely do his best." A league source said bluntly, "Compared with the maximum salary, Durant values leading the team to win the championship outside of the Warriors' career!"

According to the famous reporter of the US media ESPN, Shams Charania, Durant's team has previously discussed with the Rockets management an average of US$45-50 million in annual prices, with a total price of about 100 million to 110 million in two years. In this way, the team can save about 14 million in salary space. Even so, the Rockets still have no intention of renewing the contract in advance.

Obviously, like James' situation, Durant's age is also restricting the signing of the maximum salary, which is also helpless. After all, getting older is irreversible.