Kevin Durant Left $30 Million On The Table With His New Contract—Yet He's Still The NBA's Highest Earner

The day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets as part of a massive seven-team deal. Now, with the new NBA season about to tip off, the Rockets have inked Durant to an extension worth $90 million over two seasons. The deal, which kicks off after this upcoming season, includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.

Durant could have signed for a maximum contract of close to $120 million over two years, so he left about $30 million on the table with this deal. He took a pay cut to allow the team further cap flexibility to build a contending roster. The Rockets have a lot of young talent on the team, but they do have a hole at point guard after Fred VanVleet tore his ACL and will miss the season.

Even with the lower salary, Durant's new deal will make him the NBA's all-time career earnings later. Including this deal, he'll have made $598.2 million since entering the league in 2007. Durant passes fellow future Hall of Famer LeBron James, who has made $583.9 million to date. Of course, LeBron could eventually sign another deal to reclaim the earnings crown. For now, though, it's Durant's title.

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The Rockets hope it's not the only title Durant secures during his tenure in Houston. The team won 52 games and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last year, but lost to the more experienced Golden State Warriors in seven games during the first round.

It was clear the Rockets could use a strong scoring threat in the closing moments of tight games. Durant is on the downswing of his career, but he's still one of the best pure scorers in the league. He averaged 26.6 points and hit 43% of his three-pointers last season, and he's scored at least 25 points per game 16 years in a row. This season, he should move into No. 6 on the NBA's all-time scoring list, as he's right on the heels of Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki.

Durant won two championships with the Warriors, though he's had disappointing stints since then with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns. During those Warriors runs, the Rockets were often the next-best challenger, pushing the team to the brink before falling short.

This time around, Clutch City is hoping they're on the winning side of an elite Durant performance.