So Royce Young and Adrian Woj had it right it when they cited the chances of Paul staying with the Thunder at 85% with a new four year deal at a $137 million dollars. I guess in the world we live in a $137 million dollars tops the Pacific Ocean and having a bunch of David Duke wannabees in your fanbase.
I’m glad this is over. Another Fourth of July will not be ruined as was the case in 2016.
I have no idea where Sam Presti goes with this team considering the presence of Carmelo Anthony, but for the moment a disaster was averted. That disaster would have been sending Oladipo and Sabonis to the Pacers for a one year rental of Paul George.
From a basketball standpoint this really doesn’t change much except now on paper OKC could still possibly be a team in the West with a chance to win the Northwest Division instead of being a team viewed as one fighting for an 8th seed in the West.
Obviously, they need to get rid of Carmelo Anthony’s huge salary and resign Jerami Grant.
But again, this was big for OKC in that if Paul George had left–the Thunder organization would have looked like fools for the second time in a three year period.
Instead, on paper, the Thunder emerge as a franchise with Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams heading into the future.
That’s obviously not enough to unseat the Golden State Warriors, but it is a viable core to give pro basketball the look of a franchise which will not crumble and go away.
Now the Thunder have to figure out what to do with Carmelo’s absurd salary this season and figure out a way to keep Jerami Grant.
Plus…Billy Donovan needs to figure out his basketball team and pray Andre Roberson can play defense like he did before the injury in Detroit.
From an overall overview this in a sense ends the Durant Era in Oklahoma City. There won’t be another bummer on the Fourth of July. A top twenty black free agent for the first time in the history of the franchise besides Russell Westbrook decided Oklahoma City was an okay place to play pro basketball.
I would think this is a big deal for Russell Westbrook. If Paul George had left two years after Durant left for sure thing rings in Golden State the comments about Westbrook’s style of play would have been obvious.
I would also think Sam Presti just exhaled in a big way. He won’t be the guy who traded Harden, lost Durant, and then lost Oladipo and Sabonis for nothing.
Instead, he now has a respectable roster heading into the future even with Kevin Durant in California.
A decade of NBA basketball has now gone by in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant has been gone for two seasons and yet the Thunder sustained as an organization.
A good day for basketball in Oklahoma given where this could have gone after Durant’s departure.