Just as he suggested when training camp opened, Kevin Durant has indeed signed a contract extension to remain with the Houston Rockets.
The two-year extension, which is the maximum contract length Durant can sign at 37 years old, is for $90 million and contains a player option for year two, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
While Durant’s deal is for the maximum length, it is not for maximum money. Durant was eligible to sign a two-year deal for as much as $122 million, so the agreement represents a sizable discount for the future Hall of Famer.
With a deep and increasingly expensive roster, the Rockets are taking a diligent approach to planning out future payrolls, which incentivized general manager Rafael Stone to reach deals early and negotiate team-friendly numbers.
“The Rockets were a projected $80 million below the second (luxury tax) apron for next season,” writes ESPN’s Bobby Marks, formerly a front office executive with the Brooklyn Nets. “The extension gives Houston the flexibility to retain Tari Eason, add in free agency, while also remaining under.”
The deadline for Eason’s rookie-scale extension is at 5:00 p.m. Central on Monday. Without an agreement, the LSU product would be slated for restricted free agency in 2026.
As for Durant, he is now under contract with the Rockets through the 2027-28 campaign, albeit with the final year on a player option. The deal kicks in after the 2025-26 season, which begins with Tuesday’s regular-season opener.
Charania elaborates:
Durant understood when he chose the Rockets as a trade destination that he would be sacrificing money on a new deal — in this case, around $30 million — so that the two sides could partner for the long term and give the franchise team-building flexibility.
Durant now holds the record for the highest career earnings in NBA history at $598.2 million based on current and future salaries, surpassing LeBron James ($583.9 million). Durant is earning $54.7 million this season and now has a total of three years and $144.7 million on his contract.
Even entering his 19th NBA season, Durant continues to produce at an elite level, and his scoring efficiency in Houston’s perfect preseason slate remained very high.
Thus, to no surprise, the Rockets made it a priority to lock up Durant as a cornerstone player into what could be his third decade in the NBA.