May 29, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first half in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center.
May 29, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first half in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Reuters

Nike is one of the most established brands in the world of sports. But for $30 million, Kevin Durant, who is one of the faces of the league and one of its most marketable superstars, may likely leave them for another rising brand, Under Armour.

Durant’s previous seven-year $60M contract with Nike is expiring this 2014 which puts his endorsement fee of the sports brand at around $8.5M yearly.

Reports out of Maryland, the home state of the Oklahoma City Thunder forward and the headquarters of Under Armour, state that they are willing to give Durant $30M a year—a figure that could be hard to pass up even for a maximum salaried player like the OKC superstar.

“I’m just going to let my team be the ones who handle that behind the scenes, I guess,” Durant said to ESPN.COM. “When you look at stuff like that, it’s great problems to have because people want you for what you know and do on the basketball court, the work you put in, so I’m going to continue to put my work in, let them focus on that on the other end, and we’ll come together at some point.

Currently, Durant belongs to the Nike stable that features fellow NBA stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Paul George, James Harden and Kyrie Irving to name a few.

Under Armour is not popular as Nike or Adidas clearly but is understandable since they are relatively new in the sports market. Under their umbrella are NBA players Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Greivis Vasquez and Kemba Walker among others.

Getting Kevin Durant won’t make Under Armour co-equals with sports brand giants Nike or Adidas immediately but it’s a good start in gaining some ground.