Post by Oklahoma City Thunder on Jun 22, 2016 5:51:13 GMT -6
Kevin Durant is inarguably one of the most elite players in the NBA, both in reality and fantasy. His averages speak for themselves and his elite scoring and across the board contributions lock him solidly in the Top 5 for fantasy scoring. Following are some comparisons to the elite SF of the NBA who have been signed as free agents in the BasketballGuru League.
i.imgur.com/rAeBrA0.png
It becomes clear that the most apt comparable for Kevin Durant is Cleveland's chosen son, the King Lebron James. They averaged very close to the same fantasy PPG (46.32 / 45.08) and are both very consistent forces on the court. They are both elite scorers who contribute in every category and command the respect of their opponents on the hardwood. Given this, it is most fair to compare these two superstars when coming to a salary conclusion.
On the positive side, Kevin Durant is 27 to LeBron’s 31. While LeBron proved this season and in the finals that he is not out of his prime yet, his age will (maybe) catch up to him. While the potential greatest athlete of all time will obviously stay an elite option in fantasy, it is important to acknowledge the youth advantage Durant holds. In addition to this Durant’s elite shooting will age better than a drive focused player.
But Kevin Durant also comes with risk. Kevin Durant won his first MVP in the 2013-2014 season, averaging 32/7.4/5.5/1.3/.7 with excellent shooting splits. However, entering the following season of 2014-2015 Kevin Durant suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot, and was initially ruled to be out for 6-8 weeks. After getting minor injuries (ankle/toe) as a result of the Jones fracture, he had to go through foot surgery resulting in him playing just 27 games while having his worst statistical season since his sophomore year. Kevin came back strong in 2015-2016 returning to his former self, however again needed to miss 10 games due to injury. As a result, since the 2014 season, Kevin Durant has played just 60.4% of regular season games (LeBron James 88.4%, Draymond Green 97.6%, Kawhi Leonard 82.9%, LaMarcus Aldridge 88.4%, Deandre Jordan 97%, Jimmy Butler 80.5%) since the injury. Even with the of re-injury we are confident in Durant’s abilities and are willing to sign him to a 5 year deal despite the risk associated with the screw in his foot from the repeated surgeries he has had for his Jones fracture.
The Thunder are concrete in Durant being the franchise player in our city. He has been with the team since his rookie season and when a feud began between KD and Russell Westbrook following our average performance in Basketball Guru’s opening season, Westbrook began to antagonise his teammates and leak stories of his displeasure to the media. The Thunder made it clear they stood with Durant as the future of the team and traded Westbrook. We picked up a potent talent in Wiggins, and by picking up Bobby Portis to fill in at the 2 if Serge is unable we guarantee Durant’s ability to perform at his more natural 3 position.
In terms of the current market, Al Horford, a player capable of playing the PF position signed for 9 million a season, while averaging 32.07 points a game. This means that the valuation for Horford is 3.56 points/$1 Million. Under this Pay scale it would make Kevin Durant’s 46.32 Average points per game worth $13 million a year, Al Horford also played a full 82 games the previous season, meaning he provided 2629.7 points in total compared to 72 games provided 3335.3 points for Durant. Under this evaluation 292.2 points equates to $1 million in pay. When factored into Kevin Durant’s total output this means he is evaluated at Approximately $11.4 Million dollars.
LeBron James is the best former free agent to compare with KD. In the free Market LeBron went for $16 million and averaged 45.08 points per game and played 76 games, for a total of 3426.08 points. This means that LeBron’s evaluation 2.82 points per $1 Million for his average and 214.13 total points per $1 million. Under this pay scale Kevin Durant is worth $16.07/year in terms of his average points per game and in terms of his total output his is worth 15.24 million/year.
With how previous free agents have signed, and our team making the necessary moves to ensure that Kevin Durant is our go to guy, and Number 1 option, we are offering Durant a 4 Year $70 Million with a 5th year team option. (87.5 Million for all 5 years). This would make him have a cap hit of $17.5 Million a year giving him the highest contract signed for our team as well making him the highest contract for all SFs and PFs. This evaluation is fair given previous contracts signed for players in the same position, and with the injury concerns Kevin faces. We have shown our loyalty to KD and believe that he will return the favour. We are confident in the Slim Reaper and we know given the extra cap room, we will be able to make the necessary adjustments to make OKC a perennial contender.
i.imgur.com/rAeBrA0.png
It becomes clear that the most apt comparable for Kevin Durant is Cleveland's chosen son, the King Lebron James. They averaged very close to the same fantasy PPG (46.32 / 45.08) and are both very consistent forces on the court. They are both elite scorers who contribute in every category and command the respect of their opponents on the hardwood. Given this, it is most fair to compare these two superstars when coming to a salary conclusion.
On the positive side, Kevin Durant is 27 to LeBron’s 31. While LeBron proved this season and in the finals that he is not out of his prime yet, his age will (maybe) catch up to him. While the potential greatest athlete of all time will obviously stay an elite option in fantasy, it is important to acknowledge the youth advantage Durant holds. In addition to this Durant’s elite shooting will age better than a drive focused player.
But Kevin Durant also comes with risk. Kevin Durant won his first MVP in the 2013-2014 season, averaging 32/7.4/5.5/1.3/.7 with excellent shooting splits. However, entering the following season of 2014-2015 Kevin Durant suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot, and was initially ruled to be out for 6-8 weeks. After getting minor injuries (ankle/toe) as a result of the Jones fracture, he had to go through foot surgery resulting in him playing just 27 games while having his worst statistical season since his sophomore year. Kevin came back strong in 2015-2016 returning to his former self, however again needed to miss 10 games due to injury. As a result, since the 2014 season, Kevin Durant has played just 60.4% of regular season games (LeBron James 88.4%, Draymond Green 97.6%, Kawhi Leonard 82.9%, LaMarcus Aldridge 88.4%, Deandre Jordan 97%, Jimmy Butler 80.5%) since the injury. Even with the of re-injury we are confident in Durant’s abilities and are willing to sign him to a 5 year deal despite the risk associated with the screw in his foot from the repeated surgeries he has had for his Jones fracture.
The Thunder are concrete in Durant being the franchise player in our city. He has been with the team since his rookie season and when a feud began between KD and Russell Westbrook following our average performance in Basketball Guru’s opening season, Westbrook began to antagonise his teammates and leak stories of his displeasure to the media. The Thunder made it clear they stood with Durant as the future of the team and traded Westbrook. We picked up a potent talent in Wiggins, and by picking up Bobby Portis to fill in at the 2 if Serge is unable we guarantee Durant’s ability to perform at his more natural 3 position.
In terms of the current market, Al Horford, a player capable of playing the PF position signed for 9 million a season, while averaging 32.07 points a game. This means that the valuation for Horford is 3.56 points/$1 Million. Under this Pay scale it would make Kevin Durant’s 46.32 Average points per game worth $13 million a year, Al Horford also played a full 82 games the previous season, meaning he provided 2629.7 points in total compared to 72 games provided 3335.3 points for Durant. Under this evaluation 292.2 points equates to $1 million in pay. When factored into Kevin Durant’s total output this means he is evaluated at Approximately $11.4 Million dollars.
LeBron James is the best former free agent to compare with KD. In the free Market LeBron went for $16 million and averaged 45.08 points per game and played 76 games, for a total of 3426.08 points. This means that LeBron’s evaluation 2.82 points per $1 Million for his average and 214.13 total points per $1 million. Under this pay scale Kevin Durant is worth $16.07/year in terms of his average points per game and in terms of his total output his is worth 15.24 million/year.
With how previous free agents have signed, and our team making the necessary moves to ensure that Kevin Durant is our go to guy, and Number 1 option, we are offering Durant a 4 Year $70 Million with a 5th year team option. (87.5 Million for all 5 years). This would make him have a cap hit of $17.5 Million a year giving him the highest contract signed for our team as well making him the highest contract for all SFs and PFs. This evaluation is fair given previous contracts signed for players in the same position, and with the injury concerns Kevin faces. We have shown our loyalty to KD and believe that he will return the favour. We are confident in the Slim Reaper and we know given the extra cap room, we will be able to make the necessary adjustments to make OKC a perennial contender.
