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Kevin Durant has profane response to reporter who questioned his ‘unselfish’ pay cut

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 11:33 AM ET

Kevin Durant was not going to stay quiet as one NBA reporter commented on his latest contract extension with the Houston Rockets.

With the 2025-26 NBA season just days away, the Rockets on Sunday inked Durant to a two-year, $90 million extension with a player option on the second year. The former NBA MVP had one year worth $54.7 million left on his previous deal.

The deal was about $30 million less than the maximum amount Durant was eligible to receive. While it was a much-needed discount for a Rockets team worrying about cap flexibility, some fans and pundits felt like it was still a huge sum to pay for a 37-year-old with a checkered injury history.

One reporter’s take on the deal seemed to catch Durant’s eye.

“KD locked in $45 million in guaranteed money for his age-39 season… not sure I’d characterize that as an unselfish sacrifice,” wrote New York-based writer Tommy Beer.

KD locked in $45 million in guaranteed money for his age-39 season… not sure I’d characterize that as an unselfish sacrifice https://t.co/HFsVDQ0wUt
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) October 19, 2025

Beer was referencing the phrasing of Shams Charania’s original reporting of Durant’s contract extension. The ESPN reporter called it a “sacrifice” Durant knew he needed to make when he agreed to be dealt to the Rockets.

Durant clapped back with a profane response.

“What would u characterize it as? Since we characterizing [sic] s--- this morning,” Durant replied.

On one hand, the Rockets are taking on some risk committing nearly $150 million to Durant until the 2027-28 season, when the 15-time All-Star will be entering his age-39 season. Aside from LeBron James, superstars have historically dropped off significantly once they near the 40-year mark.

On the other hand, Durant may be cut from the same cloth as LeBron. KD averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 52.7% from the field across 62 games last season. His playstyle, which relies more on finesse and sharpshooting, also projects to age gracefully.

Teams sign players far less effective than Durant to gargantuan deals all the time. He probably could have asked for much closer to the full max than he did, based on his reputation alone. One may question how wise it was for the Rockets to double down on Durant, but they indeed got a discount to do it.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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