This is particularly relevant to free agents Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, who have been pivotal to the Warriors' success as they have advanced to three straight NBA Finals.
In order to sign Durant to the maximum possible extension this offseason, starting at an estimated $35.4 million per year, the Warriors would have to renounce their rights to Iguodala and Livingston to create room under the salary cap. The most they can pay Durant in 2017-18 without creating cap space is 120 percent of his 2016-17 salary, a little less than $32 million.
Curry, long one of the league's most underpaid stars at about $11 million per year, could then sign a new contract starting at $35.4 million a season and worth approximately $205 million over the next five years.
But because Durant is willing to take less than the maximum he is eligible for this season, according to league sources, the Warriors would not need to create room under the cap to re-sign him and thus would not need to renounce their rights to any of their other free agents.
Durant could sign a so-called "non-Bird" extension for up to four years, but a more likely scenario would have him sign another two-year deal, with a player option on the second year (similar to what LeBron James did in Cleveland for several years). Durant would then be eligible for another one-plus-one deal next year starting at an estimated $35.7 million and a five-year, supermax contract of approximately $217 starting in 2019-20.
By taking approximately $4 million less than his max next year and waiting to get his long-term extension for at least another season, Durant would allow the Warriors a chance to use their Bird rights to re-sign their own free agents (mostly notably Iguodala and Livingston) to deals far more comparable to what they'd likely see on the open market.
