$4M increase <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As I reported on Enes Kanter, OKC offered $13.5 million/year for 4 years and would match any offer sheet from another franchise.</p>— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) <a href="https://twitter.com/vgoodwill/status/619236803753570305">July 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So OKC's offer was about the same as what Harden gets paid LOLOLOL. That trade looks worse every year.
Depends on what happens with the Thunder this upcoming season. If they don't match but go on to do really well(think the Rockets 2014-15 success after not matching Parsons), Durant may be inclined to re-up with the team provided they make improvements to the roster. If they let Kanter walk and then have another disappointing year, Durant's probably gone.
Its a calculated move by Portland, they have huge cap room to spend, and that's why makes this move a bit more convincing. In worse scenario, if OKC let him walk, it won't harm Portland that much, they have very little expectation to make the playoff this year anyway, so this will be like that season Rockets prepared to tank and gave a poison pill contract to Asik. Whether OKC will match or not match, this will do big damage to the chance of Durant walking next year.
They are going to give Kanter a max deal because he is a big(productive bigs are typically worth more than wings because of their scarcity), because a player like Kanter would cost them a lot more if they tried to acquire him in the FA market next year or even two years from now, and because they will only be a tax paying team for a year or so before the cap ceiling raises significantly. It was stupid that they let Harden go, but I think this is a decent enough move given Kanter is a decent offensive player and he's still a very large human in the middle. Healthy Kanter, Ibaka, Westbrook, and Durant are a more legit squad than Ibaka, Westbrook, Durant, and whatever center they can give the max to next year or the year after.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Thunder are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Match, and everyone says they overpaid. Don't match, everyone says they're cheap.</p>— Royce Young (@royceyoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/royceyoung/status/619238257839112193">July 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bring back Mr. Cold Blooded! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GHKWJ8yCqBE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In order to keep Durant, the Thunder have to show some semblance of a functioning team. Many think that Kanter's presence more than puts them over the top. Yea while 17 mil per year is a lot, that may be the going rate for bigs from this point on...Also, this is the last chance that the Thunder have to impress Durant...You better believe that the Warriors and Rockets are keenly looking to add him to their roster. Yes I said the Warriors...They could easily offer Thompson and Barnes plus a salary filler in a S/T deal that could easily trump anything we have to offer. Durant, just like the other winners in this league, will only consider teams with title contention.
People need to remember this : The Utah Jazz drafted Kanter and played him for 3 plus years. And its the Utah Jazz decided to trade him away, or should I said gave up on him. The Jazz got these from the Kanter trade last season : "The Utah Jazz announced today the team has acquired rookie forward Grant Jerrett, the rights to German center Tibor Pleiss, center Kendrick Perkins and a future first-round pick from Oklahoma City, as well as a 2017 second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons as part of a three-team trade." They are probably rofl when they are seeing a max contract offer for Kanter. Sure, Gobert is a much better player for the Jazz in the same position, but if Kanter is really any good, like the TJ situation in the Rox as a comparison, the Jazz won't give him up for a bag of chips.
This is luvly, i'm sorry but Bennet is much worse then Cuban, he got and had even more, when it comes to amazing talent, but being cheap fuc will always gonna haunt that team, hope Durant and Ninja leaves them high and dry.
He and his staff deserve credit for drafting Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka (along with those that developed them). But certainly his management of the cap and team building is questionable.
