Richard Jefferson Details Why Kevin Durant Leaving $30 Million on the Table Came as No Surprise

Kevin Durant was part of arguably the most high-profile trade of the summer when he joined the Houston Rockets. However, his future, even with his new team, was in question, since the contract he was under was set to expire next year. Unsurprisingly, he signed an extension. But what raised eyebrows for some was the fact that he gave up on a huge chunk of money.

Durant put pen to paper on a two-year $90 million deal, a figure which could have gone to $120 million had he played hardball. But it didn’t take a genius to figure out why Durant let go of that $30 million and instead chose to focus on what he loves doing the most — play basketball.

Richard Jefferson for one, was not surprised. He believes that Durant, who wants to give the Rockets the best financial chance to win a title before he retires, wants to ride out the rest of his career in Houston.

“He’s like, ‘Boys, listen, we in Houston, Texas. We got some young boys. We gonna give y’all some money, and I’mma ride this bad boy out for the next 2-3 years. And y’all got money to go play. Y’all want to go get somebody? I’m not tryna cash all the way in,’” Jefferson said on Road Trippin’. 

If this is what Durant was thinking, then good for him. He’s an all-time great who deserves at least one more championship before retiring. And the only way that’s going to happen is if the Rockets can supply him with talent, which could be costly. The $30 million the Rockets saved gives them greater flexibility under the salary cap. 

It’s not just about going and acquiring external talent either. Jefferson shared that there would be internal talent that they need to keep together as well. 

“He would like to win one more championship, and the ultimate equation is to have this young group to be in Texas, and to have cap space to go get better. That’s the best possible situation you could be in for Kevin Durant. So, I’m not surprised,” Jefferson shared.

It certainly does feel like the best possible situation for the future Hall of Famer. Naturally, a fan’s brain can start to run wild. What if Durant can capture a third career championship? This was the exact question that Jefferson’s co-host, Channing Frye, asked later on. 

“What if Kevin Durant wins in Houston?” Frye questioned. “We will have to rewrite history books. He’s already up there. But if he wins in Houston with this young team, we are going to have to have an awesome conversation about where he is.”

It’s hard to deny that, with his scoring average and accolades, Durant is one of the best players in NBA history. Top 10, many would argue. But if he wins a title without Stephen Curry, the conversations would certainly become interesting. He would definitely crack the Top 5, if not the Top 3.

At the end of the day, though, we’ll just have to wait and see if Durant can get it done in Houston. The Western Conference is a gauntlet, and Fred VanVleet already went down for the season with a torn ACL. The odds aren’t in the Rockets’ favor, but with the extra cap space, they have the money to make a trade if needed.