The first summer he re-signed with the Warriors, Kevin Durant willingly ducked $9.6 million below his max. Those savings ensured the franchise could retain the rights of two important free agents, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, maintaining a core intent on chasing more titles.



The second summer he re-upped, Durant stayed $5.4 million below his max. Add up all those dodged tax dollars and it saved the Warriors around $20 million, nearly the same amount it cost, penalties included, to shovel the taxpayer mid-level over to DeMarcus Cousins.



Two Julys, two charitable Durant donations, both similar on a surface level. But they were attached to divergent motives, beaming out opposite signals.



Durant’s initial give-back was for competitive, team-building reasons, the surest sign that star and franchise were operating lock-step on a long-term vision. Steve Kerr likened it to mid-prime Tim Duncan taking those financial haircuts to extend San...