{"id":98852,"date":"2024-10-01T16:12:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T20:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=98852"},"modified":"2024-10-01T16:12:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T20:12:48","slug":"kevin-durant-contract-extension-addressed-at-suns-media-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/kevin-durant-contract-extension-addressed-at-suns-media-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Durant Contract Extension Addressed at Suns Media Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/highlights-from-nba-media-day\/\" target=\"_self\">NBA Media Day<\/a> has come and gone, and the potential contract extension of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a> was amongst many topics discussed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/30\/phoenix-suns-stars-heap-praise-on-tyus-jones-signing\/\" target=\"_self\">Phoenix Suns.<\/a>\u00a0 Durant is eligible for a <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/nba\/insider\/story\/_\/id\/40374363\/nba-free-agency-2024-stars-eligible-extensions\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one-year $59.7m<\/a> extension which would keep him under contract until the end of the 26-27 season.\u00a0He has two more years to go on his current deal which sees him become an unrestricted free agent following the 25-26 season. However, there are no indications yet that they are close to an agreement.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Kevin Durant Contract Extension Addressed at Suns Media Day <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>First up to the podium was owner Mat Ishbia. \u00a0Ishbia has not been shy in spending money since he took over from Robert Sarver, and his first major move was to trade for Durant. He is not fazed by the new luxury tax rules and hopes to build a roster to sustain continued success.\u00a0 A big part of that will be keeping Durant in the Valley long-term. On a potential extension, <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KD35Muse\/status\/1840825379566813589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ishbia commented<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cKevin Durant loves it here, we love Kevin Durant.\u00a0 We talk to him and his agent Rich Kleiman all the time\u2026 We don\u2019t really go through contract extensions publicly but I\u2019ll tell you this, Kevin loves it, we love Kevin.\u00a0 We plan on Kevin being here and nothing\u2019s changing with that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>General manager James Jones added to these thoughts, saying, \u201cWe want him here, we\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;We want him here.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Suns GM James Jones spoke about Kevin Durant extension discussions. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iw1sX1OYJb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/iw1sX1OYJb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PHNX_Suns\/status\/1840830472324333936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/kevin-durant-addresses-contract-extension-231907978.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Durant<\/a> himself was also asked about the situation, but he says he is focused on the season ahead:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTwo years left on my contract, I\u2019m focused on being the best that I can every day\u2026 We\u2019ll figure that stuff out when it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Durant Wants to Win<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It is arguably a make-or-break season for the Suns, as they still search for an elusive first NBA Championship. Last season\u2019s first-round sweep at the hands of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/2024-25-nba-betting-preview-timberwolves-win-total-odds\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> has left a bitter taste in the mouth and the side are desperate to put that right this year.<\/p>\n<p>There are no suggestions that Durant is unhappy, even with the constant media attention surrounding him. After all, he asked to be traded to Phoenix to play alongside <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bookede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin Booker<\/a> and looks to be in it for the long haul. However, Durant wants to win. Having turned 36 years old earlier this week, he does not have many years left in his career. The Suns must show they are still competitive in an ever-improving <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/22\/espn-predicts-nba-western-conference-standings-for-2024-25\/\" target=\"_self\">Western Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>KD is showing no signs of slowing down, despite entering year 17 of his career. He just embarked on what he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bmi15j4Bkh8\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">described<\/a> as \u2018one of the best summers I\u2019ve had\u2019 in which he won his fourth gold medal at the Paris Olympics with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/04\/stephen-currys-team-usa-gold-medal-hasnt-really-sunk-in\/\" target=\"_self\">Team USA<\/a>.\u00a0 The star also became the nation\u2019s <a  href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/en\/news\/paris-2024-mens-basketball-kevin-durant-breaks-scoring-record-usa-cruises-into-semi-finals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leading points scorer<\/a> in Olympic history with 518. He achieved this playing alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/11\/steve-kerr-names-surprising-player-as-unsung-team-usa-mvp\/\" target=\"_self\">Booker<\/a>, and the pair will be hoping for another title come the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Last season, Durant averaged <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">27.1 points<\/a>, tied for fifth-best in the NBA. He did so while playing in 75 games, his healthiest campaign since his final year with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/29\/golden-state-warriors-looking-for-further-upgrades-as-training-camp-opens\/\" target=\"_self\">Golden State Warriors<\/a> in 2018-19. Injuries to his co-stars meant he had a greater role at both ends of the court, and he delivered immensely. He would often find himself guarding the opposition\u2019s best player, as well as carrying most of the load offensively. With hopefully much better health and depth this season, the Suns should see their big three play to their potential.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;One of the best summers I&#39;ve had&quot; &#8211; <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KDTrey5<\/a> talking about his special run with <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/usabasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@usabasketball<\/a> \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/b3pQynCSqL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/b3pQynCSqL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBATV\/status\/1840869997020594492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NBA Media Day has come and gone, and the potential contract extension of Kevin Durant was amongst many topics discussed with the Phoenix Suns.\u00a0 Durant is eligible for a one-year $59.7m extension which would keep him under contract until the end of the 26-27 season.\u00a0He has two more years to go on his current deal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5293,"featured_media":98875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,28],"tags":[352,1872,69,49213,2113],"class_list":["post-98852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-suns","tag-devin-booker","tag-james-jones","tag-kevin-durant","tag-mat-ishbia","tag-nba-contract-extension"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}