Kevin Durant has missed the entire 2019-20 NBA season as he sits out with an Achilles injury, but he was still able to secure a large bonus from the bench.
Durant made a surprise announcement in the offseason by signing with the Nets. As part of that contract, Durant had an incentive that, if the Nets made the playoffs, he would earn a $1 million bonus. Well, after the Nets' win over the Kings on Friday, Brooklyn earned itself a spot in the playoffs.
And that means Durant earned his bonus, as reported by ESPN's Bobby Marks:
Kevin Durant has earned a $1M bonus with Brooklyn now clinching a playoff spot. The bonus before the season was considered likely and will not impact his $40.1M cap hit for 2020-21. https://t.co/lwhsuuIgFR
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 7, 2020
MORE: Playoff standings | Schedule | Bubble, explained
Marks noted the bonus "was considered likely," but that was before the season started. As the season went on, it became increasingly unlikely the Nets would make the playoffs, especially after Kyrie Irving suffered a shoulder injury in February that forced him to miss the rest of the season. Then, ahead of the NBA's restart, multiple Nets players dropped out.
Still, the Nets aren't going to worry too much about missing $1 million, especially when it's going to their top player. With the added bonus, Durant earned over $38 million this season, despite not playing in a single game. The $1 million playoff bonus was the only incentive listed in his contract.
As for Durant's future, the Nets star will continue to miss the rest of the season. Even though he had extended rehab time with the NBA's delayed season, and now with the Nets reaching the playoffs, he made it clear in June he's not going to play.
"My season is over," Durant said. "I don’t plan on playing at all. We decided last summer when it first happened that I was just going to wait until the following season. I had no plans of playing at all this season. ... It’s just best for me to wait. I don’t think I'm ready to play that type of intensity right now in the next month. It gives me more time to get ready for next season and the rest of my career."
The Nets have three games remaining in the seeding schedule of the NBA restart before the playoffs begin.
