So Thabo's gone right?

[GooseDiddy]

This will be Thabo's last year in OKC right? Unless Westbrook gets dealt ala Harden.

[Podirk]

This will be Thabo's last year in OKC right? Unless Westbrook gets dealt ala Harden.

I don't associate Thabo being on the team dependant on Westbrook.

It's more what kinda contract is he looking for...and how much is the Thunder willing to give him given the role they want for him (if at all). If Roberson can develop a 3 pt shot or Lamb can become consistent...then Thabos need goes down drastically.

Also looking at the players who could possibly be gone next year (Thabo, Fish, Butler, Thabeet and Perk *amnesty) the Thunder will have at least 3 rotational players to replace.

[bondom34]

Yeah, I don't think Thabo has anything to do with Westbrook, I don't know how you come to that conclusion at all. Plus the tax is projected to go up to around 75 million I believe. I wouldn't be shocked either way.

[GooseDiddy]

If Westbrook is dealt for a cheaper player, to clear cap, I would think Thabo would be a lock to resign.

[bondom34]

That would make less than no sense. Its possible Thabo may resign, he may not. If not, wouldn't be shocked, but also wouldn't be shocked if he did, as I expect the team to possibly go into the tax slightly, and the tax threshold will increase as well.

[MvPderozan]

Thabo is pretty useless. I mean the one thing he was good at(defense), he isn't even good at that anymore. I wouldn't offer this guy more than 2M a year. I prefer just going after someone else. A guy who can consistently hit open shots.

[bondom34]

Thabo is pretty useless. I mean the one thing he was good at(defense), he isn't even good at that anymore. I wouldn't offer this guy more than 2M a year. I prefer just going after someone else. A guy who can consistently hit open shots.

Thabo's making his money right now. We're seeing how awful the defense is w/o him, he's worth way more than 2 mil, at least 4-5 minimum. He's underpaid now a bit.

[Podirk]

If Westbrook is dealt for a cheaper player, to clear cap, I would think Thabo would be a lock to resign.

If Westbrook is traded for a cheaper player (also read worse player) then Thabo is as good as gone. Thunder would be bringing in a better more expensive SG if Russ were to be gone. IMO

[Podirk]

Thabo is pretty useless. I mean the one thing he was good at(defense), he isn't even good at that anymore. I wouldn't offer this guy more than 2M a year. I prefer just going after someone else. A guy who can consistently hit open shots.

Thabo's making his money right now. We're seeing how awful the defense is w/o him, he's worth way more than 2 mil, at least 4-5 minimum. He's underpaid now a bit.

I agree, and especially last year when he was hitting 3s. I also think that the teams make up is shifting and Thabo seems to be replaceable with either PJ or Andre (obviously both have their faults) and at a discount.

[Loud_city]

If we can get him to a nice deal he will accept I see No Reason he wouldn't be back.

[Bravenewworld]

Thabo is pretty useless. I mean the one thing he was good at(defense), he isn't even good at that anymore. I wouldn't offer this guy more than 2M a year. I prefer just going after someone else. A guy who can consistently hit open shots.

Thabo's making his money right now. We're seeing how awful the defense is w/o him, he's worth way more than 2 mil, at least 4-5 minimum. He's underpaid now a bit.

Thing is this is it looks like we can actually replace him with Roberson. That guy's defense is... wow... really above what Thabo's was at that exp. level in the NBA. And next year with a play off run under his belt and more experience, he will be all that much better. So the question can really come down to if we need him to not.
That being said, i would sign and trade him. No way we let him go for free. Theres a chance we could sign and trade him to an eastern team that thinks they can contend and maybe we can get a top 17 pick for him.
Maybe we can get him to the Bucks, they seem like a team that thinks they can contend despite being horribly lost as a franchise.
Or better yet, lets send him to the Cavs for JJack. We will need a smart "coach on the floor" type player when Fisher leaves and outside of say, Billups he is really one of the few left.

[bondom34]

Thabo is pretty useless. I mean the one thing he was good at(defense), he isn't even good at that anymore. I wouldn't offer this guy more than 2M a year. I prefer just going after someone else. A guy who can consistently hit open shots.

Thabo's making his money right now. We're seeing how awful the defense is w/o him, he's worth way more than 2 mil, at least 4-5 minimum. He's underpaid now a bit.

Thing is this is it looks like we can actually replace him with Roberson. That guy's defense is... wow... really above what Thabo's was at that exp. level in the NBA. And next year with a play off run under his belt and more experience, he will be all that much better. So the question can really come down to if we need him to not.
That being said, i would sign and trade him. No way we let him go for free. Theres a chance we could sign and trade him to an eastern team that thinks they can contend and maybe we can get a top 17 pick for him.
Maybe we can get him to the Bucks, they seem like a team that thinks they can contend despite being horribly lost as a franchise.
Or better yet, lets send him to the Cavs for JJack. We will need a smart "coach on the floor" type player when Fisher leaves and outside of say, Billups he is really one of the few left.

I'd agree, but Roberson's offense is just flat out not ready. I don't think they can afford to put him and Perk out there when neither are capable of scoring at all.

[Bravenewworld]

Thabo's making his money right now. We're seeing how awful the defense is w/o him, he's worth way more than 2 mil, at least 4-5 minimum. He's underpaid now a bit.

Thing is this is it looks like we can actually replace him with Roberson. That guy's defense is... wow... really above what Thabo's was at that exp. level in the NBA. And next year with a play off run under his belt and more experience, he will be all that much better. So the question can really come down to if we need him to not.
That being said, i would sign and trade him. No way we let him go for free. Theres a chance we could sign and trade him to an eastern team that thinks they can contend and maybe we can get a top 17 pick for him.
Maybe we can get him to the Bucks, they seem like a team that thinks they can contend despite being horribly lost as a franchise.
Or better yet, lets send him to the Cavs for JJack. We will need a smart "coach on the floor" type player when Fisher leaves and outside of say, Billups he is really one of the few left.

I'd agree, but Roberson's offense is just flat out not ready. I don't think they can afford to put him and Perk out there when neither are capable of scoring at all.

Lets not go overboard here. Its not like Thabo is a great offensive player. Thabo;s good for a 3 pointer here and there and that's about it. I'd have no problems taking our chances on a second year Roberson then having to resign Thabo to a contract that he is well deserving of.

[bondom34]

Thing is this is it looks like we can actually replace him with Roberson. That guy's defense is... wow... really above what Thabo's was at that exp. level in the NBA. And next year with a play off run under his belt and more experience, he will be all that much better. So the question can really come down to if we need him to not.
That being said, i would sign and trade him. No way we let him go for free. Theres a chance we could sign and trade him to an eastern team that thinks they can contend and maybe we can get a top 17 pick for him.
Maybe we can get him to the Bucks, they seem like a team that thinks they can contend despite being horribly lost as a franchise.
Or better yet, lets send him to the Cavs for JJack. We will need a smart "coach on the floor" type player when Fisher leaves and outside of say, Billups he is really one of the few left.

I'd agree, but Roberson's offense is just flat out not ready. I don't think they can afford to put him and Perk out there when neither are capable of scoring at all.

Lets not go overboard here. Its not like Thabo is a great offensive player. Thabo;s good for a 3 pointer here and there and that's about it. I'd have no problems taking our chances on a second year Roberson then having to resign Thabo to a contract that he is well deserving of.

I just honestly can't think of a starter in the NBA who's ever made that big an improvement offensively, Thabo, in his worst year career wise is still miles ahead of Roberson. I like Roberson, but as a bench/energy guy.

Edit: I should say also, I think its mainly I just don't completely trust such a young starter on a title contender, but I see where you're coming from too.

[wizkid27]

I'd agree, but Roberson's offense is just flat out not ready. I don't think they can afford to put him and Perk out there when neither are capable of scoring at all.

Lets not go overboard here. Its not like Thabo is a great offensive player. Thabo;s good for a 3 pointer here and there and that's about it. I'd have no problems taking our chances on a second year Roberson then having to resign Thabo to a contract that he is well deserving of.

I just honestly can't think of a starter in the NBA who's ever made that big an improvement offensively, Thabo, in his worst year career wise is still miles ahead of Roberson. I like Roberson, but as a bench/energy guy.

Edit: I should say also, I think its mainly I just don't completely trust such a young starter on a title contender, but I see where you're coming from too.

In the end I don't really disagree with you all that much, but for the sake of conversation....

"I like Thabo, but as a bench/energy guy."
"I like Perk, but as a bench/energy guy."

Both of these seem pretty much just as appropriate. Thabo is ahead of Roberson in shooting (even despite a poor year) and definitely in passing/ball handling. Roberson is ahead of not only Thabo, but a good portion of the league in rebounding. About now, there defense seems pretty similar.

I only put Perk in there to emphasize the point... it's not like next to Serge, KD, and Russ we're trotting out some great complimentary players. Thabo is a role player that (this year) has played his primary role inconsistently (perimeter defender) and his secondary role poorly (corner three-point maker). Perk is a role player that is useful in aboubt 40% of matchups due to the current league composition and is dang near worthless in others... I'm just not sure it is too much of a stretch to say that Roberson is in the class of two fifths of our starters (when healthy).

[bondom34]

In the end I don't really disagree with you all that much, but for the sake of conversation....

"I like Thabo, but as a bench/energy guy."
"I like Perk, but as a bench/energy guy."

Both of these seem pretty much just as appropriate. Thabo is ahead of Roberson in shooting (even despite a poor year) and definitely in passing/ball handling. Roberson is ahead of not only Thabo, but a good portion of the league in rebounding. About now, there defense seems pretty similar.

I only put Perk in there to emphasize the point... it's not like next to Serge, KD, and Russ we're trotting out some great complimentary players. Thabo is a role player that (this year) has played his primary role inconsistently (perimeter defender) and his secondary role poorly (corner three-point maker). Perk is a role player that is useful in aboubt 40% of matchups due to the current league composition and is dang near worthless in others... I'm just not sure it is too much of a stretch to say that Roberson is in the class of two fifths of our starters (when healthy).

TBH when you put it this way, I can't disagree. Great points. I also think Thabo becomes more expendable if there's something done w/ Perk (ie an upgrade), and though hopeful, don't think that would happen. I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way with Thabo though.

[DontH8TheBrody]

I can see an argument both ways. Thabo is still a good and useful perimeter defender, I think Roberson has done a very good job defensively in his opportunity as well though. He would need to learn to play slightly less aggressive as the starter though because he is a bit foul prone right now.

I agree with bondom in the sense that currently I can't see his offensive game developing enough in one off season to be the starting shooting guard on a championship hopeful team. Westbrook and KD will go bald with all the stress of the assists they will lose when he airs corner 3s. His jumper just looks down right bad right now.

With a guy that shoots like he does, you will have to be playing lockdown Tony Allen D every night to be valuable enough. I like Roberson though.. We will see what happens. Could even use a Roberson/Jones hybrid.

[Podirk]

One interesting fact is the Thunder signed Roberson to a lesser salary then normal for a 1st round pick (I believe it is normally signed for 120% of rookie scale but he signed for 80% of rookie scale).
Was this an intentional plan in place for when Thabo needs replacing...he is replaced with a very cheap contract, thus leaving room to spend some more money on an offesive threat (read 3 pt shooter)?
Roberson knows what he is good at and struggles at (that quality is huge in a young player). He knows offensively he is lacking but goes to quick cuts and offensive rebounding to help offensively. Defensively he knows he NEEDS to be an energy bulldog on D.

All of the above is another reason I see Thabo more than likely gone. They effectively signed his replacement to a cheap rookie contract...and now have a lil money to spend on a shooter.

[slicedbread2]

I personally feel that the replacements for Thabo in Roberson and Lamb aren't ready yet in the form that both need more seasoning. Future wise, I hope that Lamb can be that 6th man who can provide scoring for the second unit while Roberson becomes that anchor on defense for the starting unit since you need a good balance of both. Given that Thabo has a large wingspan that can allow him to defend the best guards in the league and slow down the best players on the wings while allowing Durant and Westbrook to conserve energy. If I had to give him an extension and everybody knows that he's underpaid right now, I'd give him a Tony Allen like deal for 3-4 years and say 5-6 million a year with the last year being a player option. He'd be best used as a stopgap while Roberson and Lamb grow.

As for Perkins, I think they should use their full MLE to go after Pau Gasol in a S&T with the Lakers and do a trade like this:

OKC: Pau Gasol
LAL: Kendrick Perkins, 2 first rounders and 2 second rounders(the Dallas pick is most likely to be converted this year the way Dallas has been playing unless the Mavericks miss the playoffs).

The ace in the hole asides from having two top 15 players in the league is that Serge Ibaka plays on the Spanish national team with Gasol and has done so for a while so this could work really well. I'd try to offer him a Tim Duncan like deal for 2 years with a P/O for a third since his game can age gracefully well while using him as the stopgap to develop Adams and teach him the tools of the trade on how to work on your offensive game and making decisions since I think he has learned everything he can from Perk on the defensive end. Plus this could put the Thunder over the hump. Not sure ownership would be willing to go over the cap, but you don't want to piss off Durant especially if they fail to win a title by the time his contract is up. He will keep it in mind since there are a bunch of sharks out there looming such as Houston, Washington to name a few going after him.

[bondom34]

I personally feel that the replacements for Thabo in Roberson and Lamb aren't ready yet in the form that both need more seasoning. Future wise, I hope that Lamb can be that 6th man who can provide scoring for the second unit while Roberson becomes that anchor on defense for the starting unit since you need a good balance of both. Given that Thabo has a large wingspan that can allow him to defend the best guards in the league and slow down the best players on the wings while allowing Durant and Westbrook to conserve energy. If I had to give him an extension and everybody knows that he's underpaid right now, I'd give him a Tony Allen like deal for 3-4 years and say 5-6 million a year with the last year being a player option. He'd be best used as a stopgap while Roberson and Lamb grow.

As for Perkins, I think they should use their full MLE to go after Pau Gasol in a S&T with the Lakers and do a trade like this:

OKC: Pau Gasol
LAL: Kendrick Perkins, 2 first rounders and 2 second rounders(the Dallas pick is most likely to be converted this year the way Dallas has been playing unless the Mavericks miss the playoffs).

The ace in the hole asides from having two top 15 players in the league is that Serge Ibaka plays on the Spanish national team with Gasol and has done so for a while so this could work really well. I'd try to offer him a Tim Duncan like deal for 2 years with a P/O for a third since his game can age gracefully well while using him as the stopgap to develop Adams and teach him the tools of the trade on how to work on your offensive game and making decisions since I think he has learned everything he can from Perk on the defensive end. Plus this could put the Thunder over the hump. Not sure ownership would be willing to go over the cap, but you don't want to piss off Durant especially if they fail to win a title by the time his contract is up. He will keep it in mind since there are a bunch of sharks out there looming such as Houston, Washington to name a few going after him.

I'd agree w/ this, except there's no way it costs that much to move Perk. Biedrins and Jefferson went for 1 pick each last offseason, and they're of similar value trade wise (maybe slightly better players, but bigger contracts). Other than that, I like Gasol.