Warriors GM says Kevin Durant can get 'whatever he wants' with his next contract - and it shows how the NBA salary system hurts its best players

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Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers revealed quite a lot about the NBA's salary structure after quickly assuring reporters that Kevin Durant can get "whatever he wants" with his next contract.

• Kevin Durant is expected to sign a contract extension with the Warriors this summer, after winning two titles and two Finals MVP awards with the team.
• Warriors general manager Bob Myers explained that negotiations were set to go smoothly, with the franchise prepared to offer Durant "whatever he wants."
• While it might sound like a generous offer, the comment actually highlights an odd reality about the league - it's superstars are in many cases wildly underpaid for the value they bring to a franchise due to the salary structure of the NBA.

Things have gone about as well as Kevin Durant could have imagined since his dramatic decision to join the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 offseason. In two seasons with the Warriors, Kevin Durant has won two NBA titles and two NBA Finals MVP awards, and become the final superstar piece that cemented Golden State as a dynasty.

With Durant due to hit free agency after next season, the Warriors have already begun working to ensure that they can keep him around, and general manager Bob Myers seems to have a strategy for keeping negotiations simple, telling reporters on Monday that he's prepared to give Durant "whatever he wants."

"Sometimes you don't negotiate. I'd love to have him for 10 years. Kevin Durant, look what he did for us last year. He did us a great service," Myers said. "He's earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. I just want him to sign a deal. But [I] want him to be happy and want him to know that we want him as long as he wants to be here."

While Myers' comments may seem generous, they actually highlight an odd reality in the NBA - due to the salary structure of max contracts, the best players in the league are never paid their true worth.

The most lucrative deal that Durant can make at this time is to opt out of his current deal and then sign for four years and $160 million. While that's a fortune to sports fans, it's also far below the true value that Durant brings to the Warriors, especially considering the team is willing to give it to him without any negotiations.

As Tim Kawakami at The Athletic noted, this iteration of the Warriors are the greatest cash machine that the league has ever seen. Between long runs through the playoffs that bring in extra home game revenue and the high ticket prices for a team that calls Silicon Valley home, Golden State has seen its value soar in the past few years, thanks in no small part to Durant's effort.

On an open market, it's easy to imagine Durant being paid far more than $40 million a year.

Last summer, LeBron James made a similar point when Durant's teammate Stephen Curry signed his $201 million contract. While the deal was the largest contract in NBA history, the Warriors had seen their franchise value grow from $450 million in 2010 to $2.6 billion in 2017, largely thanks to Curry's play and role as face of the franchise.

For now, NBA superstars will remain underpaid. Should the league someday adopt a system closer to major league baseball, stars will be able to make their worth, but until then, the Warriors will be able to keep growing the value of their franchise at an astronomical pace, while the earnings of the players adding that value is capped.

It's no wonder negotiations are so easy.