Kevin Durant is not signing a one-year, $59.5 million contract extension with the Phoenix Suns

LOS ANGELES – Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant did not sign a one-year, $59.5 million extension through the 2026-27 season, sources told the Arizona Republic, as the deadline to do so was Monday.

He is eligible to sign a two-year contract extension worth $123.8 million next summer.

Durant made it clear before the deadline that he is focused on the upcoming 2024-25 season.

“I don’t even think about it,” Durant said last week. “I’m just going to play out my contract and focus on that. Focus on the team. I haven’t really had any discussions with anyone about a contract. I’m trying to focus on basketball.”

The Suns play their season opener on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers at the new $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

“I’ve been fortunate to be in this position for 18 years, and so the financial part isn’t really important to me,” Durant said last week about the extension options.

The 36-year-old Durant had been eligible for the one-year extension since July 12.

Phoenix could only offer a maximum one-year extension at the time due to the “Over-38 Rule”, which imposes a contract restriction of at least four years for a player who would be at least 38 during that contract. Durant has two years left on his current four-year, $194 million contract.

“I’m just trying to keep getting better, keep growing my game and see how good I can get,” Durant continued. “That has always been my main focus.” When the time has come, the time has come. At the moment I have two seasons left on my contract, so I will focus on those two.”

The two-time Finals MVP remains one of the game’s best players even in his 18th year^Th NBA season. With an average of 27.1 points last season, Durant made the All-NBA second team in his first full year in Phoenix.

Durant later won a record fourth Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball in Paris.

The Suns acquired Durant just before the 2023 trade deadline in a blockbuster deal that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and several first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

Do you have any opinions on the current state of the suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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