That means OKC will be in it for about $55M after this year I think It's hard to see them going $10+ million deep into the tax for Harden. Maybe they can dump Perkins, but I don't know how they could get somebody to take that contract. They don't have any good picks or prospects to offer.
Wow. Just, wow. He' still getting better. Definitely worth max. Wow. This indicates strongly that they're keeping him. No trades. Why else would he extend at less than the max? I suspect he is off the market and untradable/unacquirable for the next 4 years. So much for my #1 player target.
There's no "no trade clause" or trade kicker reported in the deal. Why does signing Ibaka at less than the max mean that they're making him untradable? If anything it makes him more moveable in the future, if they really didn't want to move him they should have signed him to more dollars to make him look more toxic to other teams. IMHO this is a good chance for OKC to unload WB, esp. with his stock extremely high due to the Olympic team selection. Once Eric Maynor's health improves he's not really needed on the team, and I'd rather have Harden at max than WB at Max if I already have KD as the focal point of the offense.
Are you sure? I'm seeing it as about 65 million without Harden. They've got to fill out the roster. I see 60 million on 8 players. They've got to have at least five more players on the roster.
There's no way they got Ibaka to agree to a below value extension without giving him some intangible to get him to sign. What would that be? An agreement not to trade him away is the most logical explanation. I agree with you. They should trade Westbrook. But I don't think they are going to do that. I think they are keeping all 4 guys and going to let them play together as their core for the next 4-5 years.
It's one thing for Dwight, deron, Melo, etc to wait until they are free agents and sign a new bigger deal. Ibaka is young, hasn't hit it super big yet, and likely appreciates a contract of this magnitude more. The thunder likely just said here is our max offer now. We realize it could cost more ultimately if you continue to improve, but you could also get injured or regress. Here's a LOT of guaranteed money. I don't blame ibaka for signing it. He has plenty of time to get a max contract.
This extension kicks in 2013, not right away. Next season is fine and they are now at about $61 million for 2013 (11 players) with Harden left to deal with. I think you guys have to look at Ibaka's very unique background to understand why he signed early for less money than a typical NBA player would. I doubt there is a special deal. IMO, Harden will also re-sign and the main thing in doubt is what moves Presti will make for 2013 to stay below the luxury tax. For OKC, it's crucial either Cole Aldrich shows he can be a serviceable C or Ibaka gains a few pounds. There are only 2 Cs in the league Ibaka simply can't guard (Howard and Bynum). Even Pau can't post him up anymore. What I'm getting at is Perkins is likely the odd man. His salary no longer seems ridiculous ($8.5MM/year) and he will be tradeable next summer. After Harden signs the dotted line, this means all of their rotation comes back except Aldrich for Mohammed and (thankfully) Maynor for Fisher & Jackson. Best case 2013 scenario for OKC: Ibaka and Aldrich can handle the C position. Perry Jones is good enough to be a rotation player and Perkins is traded. Harden re-signs. Maynor already said he wants to extend but I can't see it. There will be too much demand for him next summer. Presti will do all possible to avoid the inevitable luxury tax until 2014. BigBenito, one key thing here is this contract clearly places Ibaka ahead of Perkins in the "pecking order". Scott Brooks now will give those low-post touches to Ibaka instead of Perkins. That will be 4-5 less wasted possessions per game right there.
Well, according to Woj it's for 12 million a year so by your definition they just overpaid. You just compared the Thunder FO with the Cavs/Orlando FOs. Nice job.
The Thunder are smart. This is why they are where they are. They didn't take a chance on letting him become a free agent. 4 years 48 mil is way less than he would have got had he become a free agent. He would have easily gotten max money.
All players aren't about money. Maybe he wanted to stay in OKC instead of going to some trash team and getting the max. I'm sure his agent didn't want him to sign. He probably didn't care. Same thing will probably happen with Harden. Westbrook was an All-Star and took less than the max to stay in OKC too.
Good stuff. It all depends on how much they pay Harden the first year of his extension and what the luxury tax line is in 2013. Perkins will only have 2yrs/$17.5MM left and should be easily tradeable if necessary.
I like James harden, but there's a decent chance that combo winds up being more valuable. Rather just try to sign him outright.
...but can they trade him without taking back salary? They'll likely need to trade him this year for an expiring if they expect to stay under the LT line in the 13-14 season. Honestly, I don't see much of a market for him.
