Dion Waiters and the Oklahoma City Thunder have started trying to iron out an extension.
You read that right, even though it doesn’t feel right.
Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news, because, well, Woj breaks all the news:
Guard Dion Waiters and the Oklahoma City Thunder are actively exploring a contract extension with the Nov. 2 deadline looming, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Waiters, 23, has been enthusiastic about working toward a deal with the Thunder, eager to compete on a contender and comfortable with his growth in a strong atmosphere for player development.
As part of the NBA’s 2012 draft class, Waiters is eligible to extend his deal. Waiters’ agent, Rob Pelinka, and Thunder general manager Sam Presti have met and had ongoing discussions on the deal over the past several weeks, league sources said.
Here’s yours truly’s exclusive, in-depth, intricately thought out reaction to this report:
_(?) _/¯ https://t.co/El6S9RW8E3
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) October 15, 2015
Trying to hash out an agreement with Waiters now, ahead of the October 31 deadline, makes sense in a vacuum. If the Thunder get a commitment from him by then, they’ll likely nab him at a discount. If they wait, he’ll reach restricted free agency next summer, and though they’ll have the right to match any offer he receives, there’s a strong chance he gets significantly more money amid an exploding cap. Oklahoma City has also placed a premium of retaining its own talent of late, which is perhaps an offshoot of the James Harden debacle of nearly three years ago.
Yes, the Thunder traded Reggie Jackson, but he clearly didn’t want to be in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, over the summer, general manager Sam Presti shelled out $95 million to keep Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler on the team for the next four years.
But taking a similar approach to Dion Waiters implies the Thunder are unequivocally certain he should be a long-term fixture. And it would be weird for them to think that as of now. Waiters spent just 47 games in Oklahoma City last season, during which time he shot under 40 percent from the floor. The Thunder were admittedly a net plus with him in the game, according to NBA.com, but Dion Waiters was also given more freedom once Kevin Durant went down. He won’t enjoy that same luxury this season, as a ball-dominant guard who cannot shoot off the catch playing beside two other ball-dominant alphas in Russell Westbrook and Durant.
It’s bizarre, then, that the Thunder would be prepared to lock up Dion Waiters for presumably the next four years. Especially when they have no idea how this exact core will mesh at full strength, or for that matter, what will happen with Durant’s free agency.
Maybe they’re just banking on a steep discount, knowing full well they can trade him later. If that’s the case, fine. But in era where ball-dominant gunners with limited offensive range are being devalued left and right (J.R. Smith, Nick Young, Lou Williams, Jordan Crawford, etc.), reaching a long-term deal with Waiters is inherently risky, irrespective of the discount Oklahoma City may be getting.
