NBA News: Kevin Durant Won't Be Leaving Brooklyn Nets Anytime Soon

During the 2019 offseason, Kevin Durant's free agency was one of the most discussed topics of the summer. Despite dealing with an Achilles injury, which he
NBA News: Kevin Durant Won't Be Leaving Brooklyn Nets Anytime Soon
NBA News: Kevin Durant Won't Be Leaving Brooklyn Nets Anytime Soon /

During the 2019 offseason, Kevin Durant's free agency was one of the most discussed topics of the summer. Despite dealing with an Achilles injury, which he suffered in the NBA Finals, Durant was still one of the most significant players on the free agency market -- and all signs pointed to him leaving the Warriors.

The usual suspects were expected to be in on the Durant sweepstakes, including the major market teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. At a point, it seemed Durant landing in New York was inevitable.

While he did go to New York, it wasn't with the Knicks. Instead, Durant shocked the basketball world and signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Despite the fact he was slated to miss the entire 2019-2020 season due to his injury, Durant was still viewed as one of the best players in the NBA, as his resume is sure to get him into the Hall of Fame.

But just because Durant's already had a Hall of Fame career doesn't mean he's anywhere near done. Despite coming off of a major injury, Durant tore it up for the Nets in 2020-2021. The 32-year-old forward proved he's still one of the best players in the league and deserves every dollar coming from the contract he signed with the Nets -- and apparently more.

Last season, Durant appeared in 35 games with the Nets. He averaged 26 points while shooting a career-high of 45-percent from three. Despite battling setbacks all year long, he averaged 40 minutes on the floor during the 2021 playoff run and put up 34 points per game. Unfortunately, the Nets' postseason run ended prematurely as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated them in overtime of Game 7 in the second round.

Durant didn't show any signs of wanting out of Brooklyn anytime soon before, and he proved there's zero shot of him running elsewhere recently as it's been announced he'll sign a noteworthy extension with the Nets this offseason. According to Shlomo Sprung of Boardroom, Durant will sign a four-year contract extension with the Nets. The deal is worth an additional $198 million. 

With that extension, the Nets are sure to be competitive for at least four more seasons, which is tough news for the Sixers. While Durant is getting up there in age and injuries have been piling on lately, the Brooklyn star proved that as long as he's on the court -- healthy or not -- he's a problem to his opponents. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA