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Kevin Durant’s Golden State Warrior career is now one step closer to coming to an end, as Woj has just reported that KD has officially declined his $31.5 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins on Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m. EST.
via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
“Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has declined his $31.5M player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN.
Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman are in New York, evaluating free agency options. So far, [the] process has stayed private.”
Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has declined his $31.5M player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN. Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman are in New York, evaluating free agency options. So far, process has stayed private.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2019
While Durant’s departure from the Warriors has been a topic of discussion all season, the former MVP’s injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors — and the aftermath of said injury — seemed to push the two sides further away.
As we’ve been reporting since Durant went down with a ruptured Achilles, the former NBA scoring champ was reportedly “not happy” with Golden State as he felt they “misled” him about the nature of his injury.
In the weeks since Durant’s unfortunate injuries, the Brooklyn Nets have been a team that has picked up steam as a likely landing destination for the two-time NBA Champion.
However, most of the reports linking Durant to the Nets come with the caveat of it being a two-for-one signing with point guard Kyrie Irving.
“Durant and Irving, league sources say, have met twice in recent weeks to discuss their desire to continue their careers on the same team, an idea forged while playing together on the U.S. national team. The first meeting took place in the Bay Area while Durant nursed a strained right calf; the second occurred in New York shortly after Durant had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.” [Bleacher Report]
This year’s NBA Free Agency class — widely considered to be one of the most talented the league has ever seen — will be officially allowed to sign with teams on Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m. EST.