Refuse the maximum salary! Give up 120 million! Should Adu cut his salary or gamble his life?

A very direct sentence:

"There is no permanent maximum salary, only the right price."

On October 20, Durant officially renewed his contract with the Rockets: 90 million for two years. KD, who was once a killer, took the initiative to cut his salary by 30 million to renew his contract with the team after moving to the Rockets.

What are the Rockets betting on with this seemingly mild salary cut and renewal? Why did Durant nod in agreement? And what does all this mean for the Rockets' championship trajectory in the next two years?

Below, let’s take a look at the details of this signing:

For most teams, for a superstar like Durant, the first reaction when it comes to contract renewal must be to nod and directly offer the maximum salary without any hesitation. After all, who would expect such a superstar to take the initiative to reduce his salary. Even though he is already a 38-year-old veteran.

But the Rockets are different. Since the beginning of reconstruction, they have gradually begun to clarify their thinking on player contract renewals. They no longer throw money around without thinking, but clearly calculate where every point is spent. This is not the first time. As early as last year, the Rockets had done this once. When they renewed the contract with core center Shen Jing, it was supposed to be a full maximum salary. As a result, the Rockets negotiated a high-quality contract with player options and below the market price.

After one season, Shen Jing produced All-Star numbers again, and this contract became the most cost-effective center contract.

When it was Durant's turn to renew his contract this time, the Rockets took this money-saving idea to the extreme. According to common sense, Durant is fully qualified to sign a two-year maximum salary contract of 120 million, but the final amount was fixed at 90 million over two years. In comparison, during this two-year contract, Durant received an average of 30 million less per year.

For Durant, this 15 million may not be a big deal, and this contract extension seems like a reduction in value; but from a long-term perspective, this is likely to be the last bet of his career. The 38-year-old Durant's personal statistics still seem to be gorgeous, averaging 28 points per game, shooting nearly 50% from the field, and a high-quality three-point shooting percentage of 40%. However, behind the data, Adu's performance in recent years is really embarrassing.

Especially in today's league, the overall offensive firepower is skyrocketing. Looking back ten years ago, league teams averaged 105 points per game and a true shooting percentage of 53%; in the current era, the team's scoring average has soared to 113.8 points per game and the average shooting percentage is also 57.6%.

In comparison, the same 28 points are no longer as scarce in the current era as they were in the past. As for Durant, although his true shooting percentage is still as high as 64.2%, it is only a few percentage points ahead of the league average. At his peak, KD was a super scorer that was more than 20% higher than the league average.

Looking at content other than scoring, the first thing that bears the brunt is the assist rate.

His 5.7 assists per 100 possessions last season was his lowest level since 2011. From the perspective of player attributes, it is not that he does not want to pass the ball, but that KD today relies more on technical experience to play, and his explosive power after a serious injury is far from his peak.

But even so, the Rockets are still willing to sign him at the buzzer, which shows their trust; and Durant's willingness to take the initiative to cut his salary to stay with the team can also be seen from his recognition of this young Rockets. This Rockets has Shen Jing, Smith Jr., and Ethan, a bunch of young players who can run and fight, and Adu's mid-range shooting and on-the-spot experience happen to be the most lacking link in their offensive system.

Back to this contract extension, the 15 million annual salary saved by Adu's initiative to cut his salary is nothing to a superstar like him, but it is different for the team. In today's NBA with increasing levels of luxury tax, 15 million can often directly determine the success or failure of a team's season.

After Adu cut his salary, the Rockets' book salary structure suddenly became much clearer.

In the 2026-27 season, KD's salary is 45 million, and VanVleet's salary is 25 million after executing the player option. Together with other main players, the team's total salary is approximately 186 million, just below the second luxury tax line.

This also means that after the Rockets retain their current team, they can even free up nearly 24 million operating space, and this money can be reserved for subsequent processing of forward Ethan's contract extension, and they can also pick up a substitute in the free market for rotation. In today's luxury tax era, such a flexible salary structure is definitely quite luxurious.

Referring to the past, the league has never lacked that kind of heroic lineup with full maximum salary, but most of the time this is the beginning of the team's collapse, such as the Warriors, Clippers, Suns, and Lakers. These teams have been more or less dragged down by the luxury tax. There is precedent, and the Rockets obviously do not want to repeat the same mistake.

Borrowing the evaluation of ESPN salary expert Pelton:

"The Rockets chose negotiation in the true sense."

This sentence may seem simple, but in the current league where stars have a strong say, the Rockets dare to put forward opinions to superstars, which is already a rare quality.

Combined statistics:

In the past four seasons, KD's team has a winning rate of 64.5% in key games with a score difference of less than 5 points; in the Suns' tight games last season, the record was 10 wins and 6 losses; when Adu was not on the court, the record was 0 wins and 3 losses.

Direct data improvement, Durant is a person who can improve a game with a 50% winning rate to 60%. Combined with 82 regular season games, this 10% improvement is enough to advance the Rockets from the top four seeds to the championship level..

Looking back, Durant's career trajectory in recent years has been truly magical. He chose the Thunder for the championship and left the Warriors in order to prove that he could lead the team alone. As a result, he went to the Nets and suffered a series of injuries. In the Suns period, he only had a brief period of glory, and then quickly fell.

From this perspective, perhaps Adu has understood that basketball is really not a one-person game. Now that he has chosen to join the Rockets, it feels like a return to a certain extent. He is no longer the KD who forcibly proved that he is the boss, but is gradually willing to put aside his worth, accept a salary cut, and even assist newcomers, teach experience, and balance the high-quality combat power of the new lineup.

As for the Rockets, they are no longer the weak team they used to be. The young people in the team have grown up. This is a team with real potential, and Durant chose them not just for money, but because he saw hope.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Rockets bought Durant for 90 million and also bought the future of this young team.

In this league where high salaries are everywhere and people leave the team every year, the contract extension between the Rockets and Adu seems particularly real.

There is no excessive emotional packaging, and there is no business showoff. What is there is just trust between the team and the players.