Kevin Durant fires back at Knicks fans questioning “sacrifice” on new contract
It was announced on Sunday Kevin Durant agreed to a two-year, $90 million extension with the Houston Rocketsthe team that traded for him this offseason. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X, formerly Twitter, that Durant was eligible for a $120 million extension but decided to take less money “so the parties can come together long-term and give the franchise flexibility to build a team.”
While some fans praised Durant for the move, others weren’t convinced that someone who will make over 5,000 times the average household to play the game should be applauded for his bravery, including one New York Knicks fan who took to social media to share his thoughts.
“KD locked up $45 million in guaranteed money for his age-39 season…not sure I’d characterize that as a selfless sacrifice,” wrote a fan.
Durant, as he is known to do, then clapped back.
“How would you characterize it? Since we characterized s*** this morning,” Durant wrote.
“I’d say it’s a pretty smart deal for both sides… the Rockets lock up an aging but still incredibly productive player. A little risky, but probably worth it considering they feel they can legitimately compete for a title over the next 3 seasons. You’re locking in another huge guaranteed payday (preferably at age 37),” they responded.
Big move for the Rockets
While the word “sacrifice” is obviously applied here through the lens of fantasy sports in this scenario, and not the way it would be for, say, a firefighter, Durant still left quite a bit of money on the table to try to help this Rockets team compete.
Whether they can do that is another matter entirely, as the team looked more than a stretch away from legitimate contention in their playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors last year, and has since lost Fred VanVleet for the year.
Either way, the Rockets will open the 2025-26 season on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
2025-10-19 15:37:00
