New York (AP) – Despite all the mega deals, Kevin Durant received the most attention on the first day of the open transfer window in the NBA. Because the 33-year-old superstar, one of the best basketball players in history, wants to leave the Brooklyn Nets.
He had deposited this wish with the team, reported the major US media, citing their own sources. The record-breaking contracts for Bradley Beal and Nikola Jokic with the Washington Wizards and the Denver Nuggets, respectively, clearly took a back seat to all media debates given the excitement about Durant’s future. “New York Times”, “Washington Post”, ESPN: The most important basketball story was Durant.
Enormous package needed for change
The three-time Olympic champion is said to personally favor a future with the Phoenix Suns or the Miami Heat, but it’s still unclear which team will be in the running for his services – and if it will be one of the two. According to the AP news agency, Durant’s contract has four years left and guarantees him nearly $200 million during that time. Interested teams would have to put together an enormous package of other players and rights for future drafts for the Nets to be able to make the deal.
The only thing that seems clear so far is that the Nets’ hopes for the title have burst for the foreseeable future. Just twelve months ago, many experts were expecting the beginning of an era for the team around the three superstars Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving – these forecasts turned out to be a blatant misjudgment over the course of the season. Irving was often absent because he was not allowed to play due to the lack of a corona vaccination, Harden was finally traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and Durant was injured several times.
Irving opted for a final year of contract and thus a salary of 36.9 million US dollars for the coming season. But Durant apparently no longer believes in a sporting perspective with his unreliable buddy and would rather try elsewhere to win the NBA title for the third time in his career.
Legend alongside LeBron
As the only currently active player in the NBA alongside LeBron James, Durant has an average of more than 27 points per game and is rightly one of the top earners in the league. The fact that the salary cap for the coming season will increase by almost ten percent to around 123.7 million US dollars will only help a little for those interested.
Other professionals took advantage of the good economic situation in the league after the Corona damper and some agreed on gigantic new contracts. Because of the rules in the NBA, the deals can only be officially signed from July 6th. Here are the most important ones from the first day of the so-called Free Agency.
Nikola Jokic/Denver Nuggets
The most valuable player of the last two main rounds will be paid in the future. According to US media, the 27-year-old Serb agreed with the Nuggets on the most expensive contract in NBA history at the time of the agreement. From the 2023/2024 to 2027/2028 season, the center should earn at least 264 million US dollars.
Bradley Beal/Washington Wizards
Bradley Beal may have had the status of basketball player with the fattest NBA contract for some time, but his agreement with the Wizards is not quite as gigantic as Jokic’s deal with the Nuggets, which became public a little later. After all, the builder will get $251 million in five years. In the ten years he has played for the Wizards, he has earned approximately $180 million.
Devin Booker/Phoenix Suns
The new deal between Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns has probably not yet been finally negotiated, but it is basically finished. According to US media, the designated successor to leader Chris Paul should get $ 214 million for a new four-year contract.
Jalen Brunson/New York Knicks
One of the most prominent changes is that of Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks. Dirk Nowitzki’s long-standing team would have liked to keep the point guard, who promoted himself strongly during star Luka Doncic’s injury last season, but could not keep up with the Knicks’ offer. Brunson’s father recently became an assistant coach in New York and he is reported to have made $104 million in four years there.
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