While the Nets and Knicks have tantalized Kevin Durant, neither franchise can offer him that golden year — a fifth season paying $50 million.
It’s the one carrot that keeps the Warriors in play as Durant weighs his options with free agency beginning Sunday night.
With Durant coming off Achilles tendon surgery, one NBA executive and one Achilles specialist said they believe long-term compensation should rise as a stronger consideration. Durant will be 32 when he debuts for his new/old team — in 2020-21.
A leading Achilles expert, Dr. Anish Kadakia, of Northwestern University, has reviewed studies showing 85 percent of NBA players who suffer Achilles tendon ruptures don’t last more than two seasons after their return.