No it's not. You do it to keep the team together. Again, you appear to be moving the goalposts. Iggy is making X amount that GS is paying him. Durant took less $$ so he could make X. He still could have made X with Durant not taking a discount and the owner paying more in tax. Whether you think they need him or not, he's there making X. The owner could have paid it or Durant. Yes, that may call Iggy's bluff and let him walk. They wouldn't call Durant's bluff and let him walk. That's the leverage that he had, that he chose not to use. Instead, he chose to take less to save his owner tax dollars. It doesn't look bad for Durant because he wants to win. Iggy and the other players would make exactly what GS chooses to pay them now, with the owner footing the bill instead of another player.
You keep saying they have to keep Iguodala, an aging injury prone role player. Why??? They could have just chosen to let him walk and sign someone else. Everyone keeps saying they need to keep Iguodala at all costs. It's ridiculous. Even without Iguodala, what other team could Durant realistically sign for that would give him a better chance of winning? Since there is none, then him threatening to leave unless they overpay Iguodala looks ridiculous. And this is fundamentally why you can't compare Durant's situation and LeBron's. If the Cavs didn't overpay for people like Tristan, Shumpert, Smith, etc. and LeBron walks, the Cavs are screwed but LeBron easily finds a situation with an equivalent chance of winning. If Durant walks, the Warriors have a harder time but still contend. And no way Durant can find another team that gives him as good a chance to win even when you remove Iguodala from Warriors. Their situations and leverage is not really the same.
I keep saying they chose to keep Iggy, and the other guys they resigned. In choosing to keep them, they had two options. The owner could pay more in lux tax or KD could take less. This outside value stuff is not relevant. GS is paying those players. The owner could have footed the bill instead of KD taking a discount. All this goal post moving is not necessary.
