David Frerker-Imagn Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-12
Real Value: $464,107,250
Career earnings: $405,940,020
Difference: $58,167,230 (14.33 percent)
That former league MVP Kevin Durant was able to miss a full season in his prime due to injury and still rank as one of the most underpaid players ever tells you all you need to know about just how great the future Hall-of-Famer is when he’s healthy.
Real Value believes Durant was most underpaid in 2009-10, with a $22.1 million disparity that year between his Real Value and actual salary, which was just $4.8 million that year. That season, Durant was absurdly valuable, leading the league in scoring at 30.1 points per game to go with 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals while appearing in all 82 outings. Durant’s Thunder went 50-32 that season, too, as the Washington D.C. native finished second in the MVP vote for his efforts, and second in Most Improved Player along with being an All-Star and 1st Team All-NBAer.
To do all that while earning less than $5 million for the season is truly hard to believe in hindsight.
Of course, with Durant being older now and still making so much money, Real Value believes he’s been overpaid a bit over the past two years, including in 2023-24 when our stat says he was overpaid by $11.3 million. Even then, the Phoenix Suns have to be thrilled with what they got out of the veteran scorer in his age-35 season, as Durant still put up over 27 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting in 2023-24 while earning 2nd Team All-NBA and All-Star honors.
Durant’s Real Value is still extremely high, as our metric had his output worth $36.3 million just last season, it’s simply that new-age max contracts (Durant made over $47 million last year) are so massive that even the best of players are having a hard time outperforming them.
For more of Kevin Durant’s career salary info, click here.
