Will Kevin Durant Finish His Career a Houston Rocket?

Of course a player of Kevin Durant's caliber is worthy of a max contract as we have seen throughout his illustrious career, but because of the way Houston's future is set up around their core players consisting of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason the franchise may not have the financial stability to also consider the soon to be 37 year old forward as a max contract player.

Already having signed Sengun and Smith Jr. for the foreseeable future, next up for Houston will be Eason, who is supposed to be due for an extension this summer. Even if he is not signed this offseason, the Rockets will still be able to match any offer he receives next year as he will be a restricted free agent following the 2025 season.

NBC’s Kurt Helin recently reported an extension between the Rockets and the former NBA MVP could be worth about $100 million, falling just $20 million short of the max contract status.

"One source who spoke to NBC Sports during Summer League suggested KD might dip to about the $100 million mark for two years, around $10 million a season below the max but still $50 million a season. However, maybe that number is too high. Maybe Durant will take less — he has the right to make whatever choice he thinks is best for him, his legacy and his family."

If Durant were to take less money, it'd certainly help Houston's cap space. Being surrounded by all the young talent the Rockets have, the veteran wing may be inclined to weigh out the option of taking a short and sweet contract extension to chase that prominent third championship.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN appeared on the Hoop Collective podcast this past week, and he had an interesting comment regarding Durant's side of things.

MacMahon said, "There've been rumblings KD's not gonna push for the full max," and if that statement is to be true, then it can help set the Rockets up for success in keeping their young core four together for the future.

Whether or not Durant is extended this summer still remains to be seen, but if an agreement is not reached, then there certainly should not be any panic from the Rockets' side.

General manager Rafael Stone has earned a reputation for being a smooth negotiator when it comes to large contracts, so it will certainly be interesting to see what the two sides eventually agree upon when extension time comes.