Durant and Rockets Stall on Contract Talks: Is a Surprise Twist Brewing Behind the Scenes?

However, there is no urgency on either side to get this extension done, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said earlier this week on NBA Today.

Whatever that number ends up being, we’re a long way from any serious drama about an extension being reached. Both sides want to get a deal done, and technically they have until June 30, 2026, to work it out. Until we get to around the All-Star break, there’s not much to stress over.
“There’s not a sense of urgency to get it done right now. The Rockets have other business that they need to handle this summer. … I think you’re going to see both sides take a patient approach. They will work together. I don’t think this is an urgent situation, and even if they get to camp, even if they get to the start of the season. If it’s not done, I don’t think you’re going to see panic from either side. They want to work together, they want to position themselves to win a championship.”Kevin Durant is entering the final season of his current contract, paying him .7 million, and part of what he was looking for in a landing spot was a team willing to pay him a healthy extension off that contract. The Houston Rockets are willing to do that.Kevin Durant’s clock is ticking on his current deal, one that’s lining his pockets with a cool .7 million this season. Naturally, he was seeking a landing zone that’d toss him a fat extension, and guess what? The Houston Rockets are ready to oblige. But hold your horses—there’s no mad dash happening here. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon spilled the beans just the other day on NBA Today, making it clear: patience is the name of the game. Both sides are playing it cool, focusing on bigger fish to fry this summer, and aren’t sweating whether the ink dries immediately or closer to the season’s kickoff. The extension? It’s a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’—the sticking point being the numbers. Forget the two-year max of 2 million; the real puzzle is whether they settle near 0 million or something less because the ‘over-38 rule’ restricts longer commitments. So, while the clock ticks and the buzz builds, there’s zero panic—just a mutual grind toward a championship future, with plenty of time on the calendar—technically all the way until June 30, 2026, no less. Relax folks, the drama’s nowhere near boiling over… yet. LEARN MOREThe deal is going to get done, the only question is money. MacMahon echoed what we have written about previously: This is not going to be a contract for the two-year, 2 million max, and the question is what number will it be? 0 million? Less? (No team can offer Durant more than two years on a contract due to the over-38 rule.)