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Despite the eight figure deal, it was actually a pay cut. The superstar was eligible for $120 million, but knew that heading to Houston his goal wasn’t to make bank, but to put the team in a good position to win a championship so he took a pay cut.
According to Kleiman, Durant accepting less money gives the franchise “team-building flexibility” who already has some solid older players on the squad like Clint Capela, Steven Adams, and Jeff Green. Now they can build on their young core of Isaiah Crawford, Jabari Smith Jr., and, of course, Amen Thompson.
Durant’s move is for the betterment for the team but don’t applaud his humility too long, because the deal officially makes him the highest career earner in NBA history. Over his 18-year career, he’s made $598.2 million, beating out LeBron James who previously topped the list with $583.9 million. Rouding out the top five is Steph Curry, James Harden and Paul George.
Durant already made history back in July when his trade from the Phoenix Suns was the biggest in league history. It’s still pretty complicated to completely understand but it involved seven teams in total including the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Durant infamously found out about the trade while on stage at Fanatics Fest in NYC, telling the crowd “Fanatics Fest is crazy. If you haven’t been here and been tapped in, anything can happen like me getting traded.”
At the time he also added that he’s “looking forward” to returning the Texas, where he played in college.
Durant has yet to respond to any trolls about his career contract earnings, but see how social media is reacting below.
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Kevin Durant Becomes Highest Career Earner In NBA History, Trolls Stay Silent
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