They really have a difficult off-season if you ask me. Not talking just about durant. But kanter as well and how it may affect ibaka. So first off you have durant entering the last year of his contract. They have failed to build the successful team around him you would imagine. But idk see any sliver of a durant trade unless durant comes out and says he's not coming back and asks for a trade but i find that unlikely. Okc is better off letting him walk imo rather than trade out of fear. But the more interesting aspect to me is kanter. He has been great for them and a severely needed low post threat. He is likely to get paid big bucks and we all know how cheap okc is. So i see a few options. First, they can say, lets go alll in. Durants contract year we have to convince him we want to win at all costs. Lets pay the luxury tax screw it. I have my doubts. Second, they can let him walk. They got him on the cheap and wouldnt lose anything other than what they gained. Dumb because he is such a great fit. Third, trade ibaka and resign kanter to a siniliar deal. Im curious how much of a return ibaka could net you. I loved him as a player a little while back. But he seems to have plateaud. But they could avoid the luxury (think lesser harden trade) and get back some decent players and assets. I think the first option is the most likely. Okc has to fear durant leaving and must do whatever is in their power to retain him. Presti doesn't seem the type to just let kanter walk. So either a SnT or the third option seems the next most likely. What are your guys thoughts?
Nope, injuries have derailed them. And I'm not trading arguably my best defensive big/player for the sieve that is Enes Kanter. I'd probably re-sign him but if you're worried about the money or whatever, then don't I guess? They still have Ibaka, Adams & McGary. Obviously the latter two not the offensive 'threat'.
I agree you jus pay kanter and hope for health. But okc is notoriously cheap so it got me wondering. I wouldnt trade ibaka either especially being my best defender, but it wouldnt surprise me.
1. Fire Bonehead and hire a new coach. 2. Don't bring back Kanter. Some team will offer him too much money for them to match. McGary and Adams will be sufficient at C next season. I think McGary is going to surprise people. JR, he's a better offensive player than you think. Remember, his rookie season didn't begin until mid-February. OP, Kanter isn't as good as you think.
This is it. Team could win it all as is next season. Just need to hope Durant is healthy and have a regular injury season next year. Instead of this catastrophe they had this year.
J.R. is right. I don't think OKC will have a problem in retaining Kanter because of his one dimensional status. I don't know if they can use the MLE like DM did to sign K-Pap. What they need is another big to replace Perkins' defense. If Durant recovers to complete health, they will be in good shape.
They absolutely can't lose Ibaka, he's the anchor of their defense and a great floor-spacer on offense. If they lose him they become a middle of the pack team in the west. I think they have to do everything possible to win the title next year, if they don't win it, it could legitimately be the last time OKC is anything but a perennial bottom-dweller (who wants to come play in Oklahoma for a team with a cheap-ass owner who's only claim to fame is breaking up a team with 3 top 5 players on it). If that means re-signing Kanter, I'm not sure (I'm not convinced he's a net-positive player because he is SO BAD on D), but they absolutely have to do something to improve the roster before next season or it might be over for them as a franchise for the foreseeable future.
Kanter I think would fit great with Ibaka. He's a terrible defensive player and you can see how bad OKC defense is without Ibaka. But with Ibaka alongside him, I think he wouldn't be exposed as much. Kanter is an offensive big (sucks finishing around the rim though; needs to work on that). OKC needs that. Their health is the main issue.
Really agree, Ibaka is next to Durant and Westbrook in importance to the Thunder. The ultimate "glue" guy.
Doesn't matter. They screwed up when they traded Harden. Now, they're just rearranging the deck chairs.
Thunder offseason: Re-sign Kanter, Singler. Add: 1st rnd Draft pick, Josh Huestis That puts the roster at 17, which means get rid of 2 of Lamb, Jones, Novak and Waiters (has most value and biggest contract to get a lower tax bill.)
Of course you pay Kanter. Whatever you pay him, it's going to be considered a cheap contract after 2016 when the salary cap skyrockets. This is the offseason to lock up any talent you can for as long as you can - assuming even remotely reasonable deals, they are all going to be discount deals going forward.
Even without Harden, they are a perennial top 2 seed when healthy. Unfortunately for them, they've not been healthy the last 3 years. 2 years ago, they lost Westbrook in the playoffs. Last year, they lost Ibaka for a chunk of the playoffs. This year has been a total mess.
It's unfortunate that due to Durant's injury, they will miss the opportunity to trade him fosomething near his max value. Now they will have to either risk letting him walk or trade him during the season.
This is my thought as well. Kanter might get a max or near-max contract. Based on 26 games, it might not be justified, but his per possession stats while definitely up in OKC, have been really good for a number of years now. Yes, he's a sieve defensively. But he's still 22 and probably a sieve defensively as much because he doesn't know what he's doing defensively, as it is because he's not trying. Meaning, good defensive team concepts and other better defenders around him can turn Kanter into a better defender. I mean it worked for Harden. Defense aside, he's putting up a 24+ PER, 18 points and 11 boards a game with the Thunder in 31 minutes. Durant remains the key to everything of course. Coming back from injury at his MVP level is no guarantee... or coming back and not getting injured again. And in either case his long-term desire to remain a Thunder...
Thunder plan is resign their players and get back a healthy Durant. The only way Kanter doesn't stay is if the Thunder luck into one of the really good bigs in the lottery.
