Agreed. Both, due to the high risk of injury and lousy play.... Presti is finally stepping in it again.
That team has a one year window for another title. No way they are able to retain Dort, Wallace, Hart, Caruso and Joe with 3 maxes. Even with the rise in salary cap. The Spurs and Rockets are coming as well. As is Cooper.
Always thought he was overrated and now he’s overpaid. I’m glad the Thunder gave that to him though. That Jabari contract keeps looking better and better.
You guys keep talking about his injury history but he was healthy enough to help them win a championship. That’s worth the money in their eyes, and their window is open for years and years.
Good for them. His injury happened in the regular season, not in the playoffs. His offense is kind of disappointing. I thought he'd be better than what he has shown. He should thrive with SGA and JDub getting all the defensive attention.
Chet could end up being worth that money but I think the likelihood is at least as high that he basically turns into an injury bust. This will definitely hamper their flexibility.
Lol...so you know how the Sixers felt with Embiid and Simmons.... With bigs you never know but you still pay them, that is just how it is. You can't live without them. This one is also a Championship bonus for him.
I wouldn't put it past them to win titles from 26/27 going forward. They can trim salary quite easily, SGA will probably continue being a top 5 player and J-Dub will probably become a top 10 player. IMO, it comes down to Chet staying healthy and improving on offense, a couple of guys from their current crop of young reserves stepping up into starting roles and Presti continuing to deliver through the draft while navigating cap rules. I expect the Thunder to be legit championship contenders many years into the future. They won't always be the favorite.
They are not going to win every championship in the next 6-7 years, I mean bigger injuries have to happen and even with the 2nd Apron there are enough contenders around. If they emulate the Spurs, then they would win every 2nd year or 3rd year. But I am confident that they would make the WCF a lot of times.
After JayDub gets his extension, it will be difficult for them to keep Hartenstein and/or Dort unless they take team friendly discounts. Presti has a treasure trove of draft picks at his disposal so I'm sure he'll find a way to keep them contenders but they'll have to get creative.
They have like five roleplayers on that roster who are all worth NT-MLE money or more--it's hard to see how they keep more than one of those guys after next season. They are definitely running the risk of having the same problem Denver had. Presti will have to keep drafting well with lower picks for them to keep this train rolling. Which he's capable of doing, but there are no guarantees.
Lmao Denver was at least 5-8 years older, just don't worry that much......you deal with the best GM/Vice President in the biz, the last 3-5 years and the next years. Also real dynasties are really boring especially the Laker ones due to the league handing them everything.
If no major injuries, I think they'll be OK (but diminished) in 26/27. 27/28 is when it gets super difficult. If the cap increases the full 10% both of the next two years, that would take a little pressure off.
