Much to the delight of Thunder fans everywhere, the NBA’s leading shot blocker won’t be on the market next summer. Oklahoma City has reportedly signed Serge Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million contract extension. Via ESPN…
The Oklahoma City Thunder have locked up another of their core players by agreeing to a contract extension with center Serge Ibaka, according to a report.
Ibaka agreed to a four-year deal worth $48 million, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Considered an above-average defensive player, Ibaka would’ve been eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.
Ibaka would be the latest member of the Western Conference champion Thunder to reach a long-term extension, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The 6-foot-10 Ibaka, who just completed his third season, averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks this past season. He also was a member of Spain’s silver medal-winning team at the London Olympics.
I’m sure you’ve already calculated this simple bit of mathematics, but four years $48 million breaks down to an average of $12 million per season. While we’re not yet certain as to how exactly this contract will be structured, this is about how much the Thunder will be playing Ibaka annually.
So… is it a good deal? I think it is. While $12 million may seem like a large sum to give a guy who is something of a specialist, consider the going rate for the services of a tall, talented player.
- Kris Humphries, 27, has a new deal worth $24 million over two years.
- Deandre Jordan, 24, is about to enter the second year of his four-year, $43 million contract.
- JaVale McGee, 24, re-upped with the Nuggets for four years $44 million.
Like Serge Ibaka, all of these players come with limitations. Kris Humphries doesn’t defend well, DeAndre Jordan’s offensive arsenal consists of the slam dunk shot, and JaVale McGee is… well, JaVale McGee. It can certainly be argued that Ibaka is the best of these four bigs, and he’s by far the youngest at age 22. He’s also the only one who’s played in an NBA Finals, which indicates his value to OKC.
How, though, does his new deal effect Oklahoma City’s ability to bring back James Harden? Harden, who remains a candidate to enter restricted free agency in the summer of 2013, is coming off an Olympic berth and a sixth man award. If allowed to test the market Harden will likely command an even larger deal than Ibaka. Eric Gordon, another up-and-coming scorer who happens to be the player Harden beat out for his spot on the Olympic squad, just got four years, $58 million from the Hornets. That figure has got to frighten Thunder fans more than a little bit.
Still, the numbers can be worked out in Brick Town. It’ll be tight, and it’ll likely require the banishment of Kendrick Perkins, but the young core can be kept intact. The aforementioned Perkins is currently occupying about $9 million worth of cap space over the next three seasons, or $27 million in total. OKC has not yet used its amnesty clause. You do the math.
B-b-but, they need Perk to guard Dwight Howard!!
No… they really don’t. There are other big lummoxes out there who are happy to lean on Howard at a much more reasonable price. Personally, I would’ve cleansed the books of Perk this summer and pushed to extend Harden, as someone is bound to offer him a monstrous deal in free agency.
But that’s another story. For now, the Thunder are 100% complete, and set to remain at least 75% complete into the relatively-distant future.
