What happens to Perk this summer?

[Bravenewworld]

Most likely scenario.

It needs to be. A lot of people talk **** about Perkins but fail to realize his value. He makes it so much easier for the Thunder to win series against the teams with bigger low post guys. Memphis, Houston, Warriors and IMO he will be needed when we reach the finals this year against the Pacers.... yup i said it.

I too believe he will be resigned (though the importance of putting together a team to win Durant a ring and keep him is there) and futher, it's getting harder and harder to see Thabo gone. I know Lamb needs and deserves more minutes. I want to see Andre get some consistent minutes. But Even with Thabo hitting the big 30 and losing his shot, the Thunder pride themselves in consistency. I could see a cheap 3 year deal being offered. Something that wouldn't hinder the growth and future sustaining of Lamb, Adams.

Im very impressed with Adam's and what he has become. He does not look like a rookie at all. He has a good offensive low post, good defensive low post, can pass, has better dribbling skills than Perkins, takes smart shots, is a solid ft shooter, man, im just so impressed with this guy. I actually think in the overall picture we are better off having traded Harden for Lamb and Adams. We got two positions filled for the price of 1, and yes, Lamb will be as good as Harden skill wise, but more of a traditional shooting guard. Harden gets to the rim at will, Lamb can drive but his value is really in having that great jumper.

[Podirk]

It needs to be. A lot of people talk **** about Perkins but fail to realize his value. He makes it so much easier for the Thunder to win series against the teams with bigger low post guys. Memphis, Houston, Warriors and IMO he will be needed when we reach the finals this year against the Pacers.... yup i said it.

I too believe he will be resigned (though the importance of putting together a team to win Durant a ring and keep him is there) and futher, it's getting harder and harder to see Thabo gone. I know Lamb needs and deserves more minutes. I want to see Andre get some consistent minutes. But Even with Thabo hitting the big 30 and losing his shot, the Thunder pride themselves in consistency. I could see a cheap 3 year deal being offered. Something that wouldn't hinder the growth and future sustaining of Lamb, Adams.

Im very impressed with Adam's and what he has become. He does not look like a rookie at all. He has a good offensive low post, good defensive low post, can pass, has better dribbling skills than Perkins, takes smart shots, is a solid ft shooter, man, im just so impressed with this guy. I actually think in the overall picture we are better off having traded Harden for Lamb and Adams. We got two positions filled for the price of 1, and yes, Lamb will be as good as Harden skill wise, but more of a traditional shooting guard. Harden gets to the rim at will, Lamb can drive but his value is really in having that great jumper.

Adams playing well is the only reason anything besides 'keep Perk throughout his contract' even has a shred of hope. Adams still has lots of work...but he is much further along then expected.

[comingbacktousa]

All vets mentioned above can be had with the MLE and TPE that the Thunder currently own...but most likely a portion of those Vets would be had with the Perk/Reggie trade

I'm a person who doesn't like a lot of change at a time...and that's not necessarily a good thing.

Losing Perk, Thabo, Fish and Reggie all playing heavy rotation minutes currently scares the poop out of me (and only 1 of those players is intriguing).

I think you can get about 3 for the price of Jackson and Perkin's contract next year. MLE is on the highend for those guys at the end of their career. 3 mil per and a chance to win a title would likely get it done. There is a lot more guys that would sign for that but those were the first that came to mine.

I think Jackson's value is very inflated among Thunder fans. He's averaging 13.5 points with 24% assist rate and 15% turnover rate. He is not a player with a large upside either and isn't the greatest fit next to Durant and Westbrook since he is bad 3 point shooter and ball dominant. When Westbrook was healthy he was getting about 26 minutes per to Lamb 20s. I much rather see Lamb get those 4th quarter minutes and a more traditional point guard that could maximize Perry Jones and Adam's catch and finish abilities. Also if Pleiss comes over next year, it gives OKC another possible(and likely polished) offensive bench player further minimizing Jackson's scoring abilities. I just don't think a score-first point guard is what the bench needs going forward.

Perkins has value but its purely as a situational defender. That value of a man to man post defender is decreasing every year. That also happens to be what Adams projects to. Perkins routinely misses or gets blocked on point blank shots that Adams would likely convert. The question is once Adams gets better as a defender, and he is all improved a lot this season, is the defensive advantage Perkins has in those situations worth Adam's clear advantage on offense and on the boards. I don't think it is after this season since there is a backup center OKC can bring over this summer. Currently the center rotation is too thin to really move Perkins for anything but another center but next year that shouldn't be a problem.

If Memphis loses/trades Z-bo away, that leaves Houston as the only real matchup Perkins excels in. Look at the Houston match-ups in the past particularly Harden's numbers, Sef has been more vital in that series than Perkins. He is a better pnr defender that Adams but as Adams gets more experienced he has gotten better. I rather have Sef than Perkins. I'll take a guy that can guard any 1-3 except Melo and Lebron over a guy thats calling card is a couple series and completely useless in several others.

[bbms]

Bigs are too expensive, and unless he accepts a Collison-type of deal, I doubt he stays. Presti is in touch with Pleiss, they talk a lot, and judging by the news over the past two years, it's about time for him to come over, and Pleiss won't certainly cost pennies. Also, his mpg is already below 20 mpg, I really doubt he wins competition for minutes for more than an year against anyone.

Also, Perkins' value imo drops off way too much when he's not starting. Most of the big lineups in this league are starters.

I really think Perkins doesn't get moved until next season deadline, because I think the Coaching Staff doesn't trust Adams yet, and I don't think they should trust him the starting spot now. If his being tutored by Collison, I don't mind Adams being kept in the team's pocket. I want him working on his IQ and the little things Collison does.

[Podirk]

I think you can get about 3 for the price of Jackson and Perkin's contract next year. MLE is on the highend for those guys at the end of their career. 3 mil per and a chance to win a title would likely get it done. There is a lot more guys that would sign for that but those were the first that came to mine.

I think Jackson's value is very inflated among Thunder fans. He's averaging 13.5 points with 24% assist rate and 15% turnover rate. He is not a player with a large upside either and isn't the greatest fit next to Durant and Westbrook since he is bad 3 point shooter and ball dominant. When Westbrook was healthy he was getting about 26 minutes per to Lamb 20s. I much rather see Lamb get those 4th quarter minutes and a more traditional point guard that could maximize Perry Jones and Adam's catch and finish abilities. Also if Pleiss comes over next year, it gives OKC another possible(and likely polished) offensive bench player further minimizing Jackson's scoring abilities. I just don't think a score-first point guard is what the bench needs going forward.

Perkins has value but its purely as a situational defender. That value of a man to man post defender is decreasing every year. That also happens to be what Adams projects to. Perkins routinely misses or gets blocked on point blank shots that Adams would likely convert. The question is once Adams gets better as a defender, and he is all improved a lot this season, is the defensive advantage Perkins has in those situations worth Adam's clear advantage on offense and on the boards. I don't think it is after this season since there is a backup center OKC can bring over this summer. Currently the center rotation is too thin to really move Perkins for anything but another center but next year that shouldn't be a problem.

If Memphis loses/trades Z-bo away, that leaves Houston as the only real matchup Perkins excels in. Look at the Houston match-ups in the past particularly Harden's numbers, Sef has been more vital in that series than Perkins. He is a better pnr defender that Adams but as Adams gets more experienced he has gotten better. I rather have Sef than Perkins. I'll take a guy that can guard any 1-3 except Melo and Lebron over a guy thats calling card is a couple series and completely useless in several others.

Really liked the bolded paragraph. Thunder will have a good big man unit that can catch...wow will that change the way the Thunder can throw in different looks.

To the first paragraph (yeah I'm going out of order...deal with it) getting ring chasers is good in theory...but historically...the Thunder haven't been successful at recruiting them. Also getting the 3 vets mentioned in the same trade for Perk and Reg will be hard to do. So part of the MLE or TPE can be used to pull in those players.

[Podirk]

Bigs are too expensive, and unless he accepts a Collison-type of deal, I doubt he stays. Presti is in touch with Pleiss, they talk a lot, and judging by the news over the past two years, it's about time for him to come over, and Pleiss won't certainly cost pennies. Also, his mpg is already below 20 mpg, I really doubt he wins competition for minutes for more than an year against anyone.

Also, Perkins' value imo drops off way too much when he's not starting. Most of the big lineups in this league are starters.

I really think Perkins doesn't get moved until next season deadline, because I think the Coaching Staff doesn't trust Adams yet, and I don't think they should trust him the starting spot now. If his being tutored by Collison, I don't mind Adams being kept in the team's pocket. I want him working on his IQ and the little things Collison does.

I agree, but I'll say this..they trust Adams more then any other rookie since moving to OKC. Every other rookie has had to wait a year to get rotational minutes (although I guess Russ' rookie year is the outlier). This off season will be big if Adams puts in the work.

One thing Adams is doing now that irks me...he pulls the ball down quickly on rebounds...just like Perk. At the beginning of the season he didn't pull them below his shoulders..just went straight back up not allowing the D to adjust...WHY???

[bondom34]

Bigs are too expensive, and unless he accepts a Collison-type of deal, I doubt he stays. Presti is in touch with Pleiss, they talk a lot, and judging by the news over the past two years, it's about time for him to come over, and Pleiss won't certainly cost pennies. Also, his mpg is already below 20 mpg, I really doubt he wins competition for minutes for more than an year against anyone.

Also, Perkins' value imo drops off way too much when he's not starting. Most of the big lineups in this league are starters.

I really think Perkins doesn't get moved until next season deadline, because I think the Coaching Staff doesn't trust Adams yet, and I don't think they should trust him the starting spot now. If his being tutored by Collison, I don't mind Adams being kept in the team's pocket. I want him working on his IQ and the little things Collison does.

I agree, but I'll say this..they trust Adams more then any other rookie since moving to OKC. Every other rookie has had to wait a year to get rotational minutes (although I guess Russ' rookie year is the outlier). This off season will be big if Adams puts in the work.

One thing Adams is doing now that irks me...he pulls the ball down quickly on rebounds...just like Perk. At the beginning of the season he didn't pull them below his shoulders..just went straight back up not allowing the D to adjust...WHY???

He's young enough still where there's plenty of time to correct this sort of thing, he hasn't been playing basketball very long. At this point, what OKC needs isn't really a great offensive big, just pretty much what Adams is right now, which is a guy who's a strong defender, solid rebounder, and doesn't turn the ball over every time he touches it. Adams still turns it over, and I agree w/ your point, but he's improving. And they definitely trust him more than any rookie I can remember outside of Westbrook and KD.

[Podirk]

He's young enough still where there's plenty of time to correct this sort of thing, he hasn't been playing basketball very long. At this point, what OKC needs isn't really a great offensive big, just pretty much what Adams is right now, which is a guy who's a strong defender, solid rebounder, and doesn't turn the ball over every time he touches it. Adams still turns it over, and I agree w/ your point, but he's improving. And they definitely trust him more than any rookie I can remember outside of Westbrook and KD.

Yeah I think Adams issues (if you can even call them that) are easily fixable. I wonder if the big men coaches teach that though..maybe to draw more fouls or something.

Adams rebounding and passing alone make him exactly what OKC needs anything else (beyond decent defense) is gravy.

[wizkid27]

Yeah I think Adams issues (if you can even call them that) are easily fixable. I wonder if the big men coaches teach that though..maybe to draw more fouls or something.

Keeping the ball high in the post is one of the most universal coaching points for post players. I would be shocked if the coaches were actually trying to get him to bring it down to draw fouls.

[James Rustles]

Most likely scenario, by far IMO is that we just keep him. Don't wanna call our organization cheap, but strongly doubt they'd pay Perkins 9M just to go play somewhere else.

I personally would love to amnesty him for the simple fact that Brooks just plays the guy way too much at times and often, for whatever reason, doesn't have the balls to pull him RIGHT AWAY when he is hurting our team out there. (See the 2012 Finals where Perkins averaged 23 minutes a game)

In the 2012 Finals we actually beat Miami by an average of 10 points per game while Perkins wasn't on the floor. The whole entire reason we lost that series was Miami exposing the matchup nightmare that happened when we played Perkins. Perkins should have played 0 minutes after it became clear they were exploiting that matchup. It's in the past, so whatever I guess. Still salty about it though.

[ThunderUp1234]

Don't need to amnesty him.

Expirings are very valuable in the NBA.

Reggie has done well in Russ' absence, but im not sure enough where Presti cant sign him.

Obviously, depends what he's asking for.

But then again, they might be able to only keep one of Lamb or Reggie long-term.

On Perk, i think he'll be traded, plenty of options especially if Pleiss is coming over.

Between Adams, Ibaka, Collison, Pleiss to go with Jones/KD to play the 4 in small-ball, thats enough inside.

If they traded Reggie, it would have to be a draft-day trade to move up in the draft kinda like what the Spurs did with George Hill to land Leonard.

Presti would have to love the prospect to do that.

Would assume one of the picks is traded depending if the Dal pick is there. This works ideally if they get the Dal pick too.

I'd try to keep Thabo personally, as long as he's not asking for a ton, within 3-3.5 mil.

Russ, ?
Thabo, Lamb, Roberson.
KD, Jones.
Ibaka, Collison.
Adams, Pleiss.

Room for 2 rookies as well.

[bbms]

I'd certainly try to move up to Smart/Exum using the DallasPick, our own, and Reggie Jackson.

[jackson77]

I would first try to re-sign Jackson, and see his price .... and then go from that

[ThunderUp1234]

I'd certainly try to move up to Smart/Exum using the DallasPick, our own, and Reggie Jackson.

Exum is a top 5 pick, not a shot.

They MIGHT have a chance at Smart if he slips.

I'd try to re-sign Reggie as long as he doesnt ask for the moon.

Around 5-8 mil per year is manageable, would take up Perk's deal in 2 years.

[Envelopes]

Ennis may be more attainable if he stops hitting game winners.

[Space Dracula]

Unlikely Perkins goes anywhere for two reasons:

- While he will be expiring, he will not be a useful expiring. Teams that desire expiring contracts want to get rid of long term salary. OKC is not going to accept long term salary, especially a salary in Perkins' ball park.

- Amnesty clause is possible but doesn't fit with how Presti operates. Do not believe he will pay a player to not be on the team, at least talking in these amounts.

Perkins' value as an expiring is that it makes his contract less toxic as salary filler for other trades. For example, a Perkins + Jackson + pick for Arron Afflalo trade looks far more appealing in the summer from Orlando's perspective than it does now. Not advocating that trade -- just an example.