It appears the slightly new look Thunder minus Kevin Durant are here to stay. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical the Thunder have finalized extensions with Center Steven Adams and Shooting Guard Victor Oladipo.
First they agreed to a four-year, $84 million extension with talented two-way guard Victor Oladipo.
Victor Oladipo reaches agreement with Thunder on four-year, $84 million extension, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/gXeBwrN7HP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 31, 2016
Oladipo pairs with Westbrook to give Oklahoma City the most athletic and aggressive back court in the NBA by a mile. $21 million per season seems like a fair price in the current market for a player of Oladipo’s talent as a tow-way asset, $4 million to $7 millon per year on average less than young wing contemporaries Bradley Beal and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Oladipo needs to regain his shooting stroke, but he can be a secondary ball handler and guard position while getting to the rim and the free throw line.
The Thunder have also finalized a massive, four-year $102 million extension for gritty and mustachioed Center Steven Adams.
Steven Adams getting $102 million. https://t.co/jIOgnNYsAx pic.twitter.com/3mhQsrnHaT
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) October 31, 2016
Adams exploded in the 2016 NBA Playoffs and is still only 23. He is proving to be the ideal center to have on your roster in today’s NBA. He’s guy who does the dirty work and has the awareness and lateral foot quickness to switch on pick-and-roll plays and protect the rim while running the floor and being an effective rock-and-roll finisher.
Committing $184 million to Adams and Oladipo over the next four years gives the Thunder some much needed stability after a tumultuous off-season. It affirms their core for the future around their superstar Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder seem to be building a nasty, aggressive and highly athletic core that will be able to run or get physical with anybody in the league. It will be interesting to see how these investments pay off on the floor.
