Stephen A. Smith questions if Kevin Durant 's willingness to take less money from the Warriors comes from a business or personal place. (1:34)

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant plans to wait until after the team completes the bulk of its summer business before re-signing with the NBA champions, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN that Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman intend to work with the club in providing the necessary discounts on Durant's expected new two-year deal to help them retain free agents such as Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.

"Look for [Durant] to sign later in the month," one source said this week.

Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday. The first day teams can sign players to new deals is July 6.

ESPN's Chris Haynes reported last week that Durant would bypass his $27.7 million player option for next season to become a free agent July 1. Sources said Tuesday that Durant formally notified Golden State of that decision this week.

Sources say Durant has made it clear to the Warriors that he will not be fielding any outside offers in free agency and remains likely to sign a new two-year deal with Golden State that includes a player option to return to free agency next summer.

"Everyone expects this to be an easy process," one source added, noting how close Durant and Kleiman have become over the course of the past year with Warriors general manager Bob Myers, who Monday was named as the NBA's Executive of the Year for the second time.

It remains to be seen how much less Durant will take next season than the estimated max he's entitled to score in the $35 million range. But Durant has offered to take a discount in this new deal, sources said, because he's so determined to help Golden State fend off the external interest Iguodala and Livingston are sure to attract.

Haynes reported Tuesday that numerous teams are already plotting to try to sign Iguodala away from the Warriors.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry is expected to land a five-year "supermax" extension in July worth an estimated $201 million, fresh off completing one of the league's biggest-ever bargain deals. Curry won back-to-back MVP awards in 2015 and 2016 in the midst of the modest four-year, $44 million extension he settled for in the fall of 2012 after a series of ankle injuries.

The Warriors would have to use salary-cap space to sign Durant to a similar deal in July, which would almost certainly prevent them from re-signing Iguodala or Livingston. But Durant's willingness to start his new deal at a lower rate means Golden State does not need to create cap space to re-sign him and thus ‎would not need to renounce their rights to any of their other free agents.

Throughout his debut season with the Warriors, Durant has repeatedly professed his fondness for both the organization and the Bay Area, leaving little doubt that he wants to stay right where is for the long term.

Durant and Kleiman have established a growing profile in the Silicon Valley business community with their Durant Company and have already struck partnerships with businesses based in the area, such as YouTube, Acorns and Postmates.

If Durant signs a one-and-one deal this offseason, the Warriors would have his early Bird rights and thus would only be able to offer a four-year deal that's for a projected $160 million right now. Durant would be eligible for the five-year "supermax" extension in 2019 when the Warriors would have his full Bird rights.