How the Oklahoma City Thunder saved money - and whether they might have to save more
[...] Then as of yesterday came the easiest move of all. Kyle Singler, who received a five-year contract for some reason back in 2015 (presumably to outbid the hot competition for his services), was under contract for $4,996,000 next season, fully guaranteed, with a fully unguaranteed $5,333,500 season after it. By virtue of the stretch provision, however, the Thunder could stretch that level of guaranteed base salary over five years, at a cost of $999,200 per annum. And this, they did.
With that, they were down to $145,582,564 in committed salary, $75,077,297 by my maths in luxury tax, for a $220,659,861 total commitment. With the seven-year stretch for Nader, they would be down to $144,268,608 in salary, $68,044,138 in tax, $212,302,746 in tandem, with 14 guaranteed contracts in place. In cutting surplus players who didn't play anyway in the forms of Johnson and Singler, retaining their star and their only good bench player from last season, while adding productive players in the forms of Schroeder and Noel, Oklahoma City have added much needed talent while just about keeping their payroll manageable. [...]
[...] That said, the struggles without him were only partly due to Roberson's own impact. In large part, they were also due to the lacklustre options that replaced him. Abrines was a timid shooter who had too many nothing games, Terrence Ferguson took even fewer dribbles than he, and although he was the best defender of the bench, Josh Huestis was somehow even less of an offensive threat that Roberson, while not being the tour de force on defence. Singler wasn't trusted at all, and ultimately, two point guard line-ups featuring Felton became a turned-to option, such was the plight at the position sans Roberson. Brewer shined in relative terms by virtue of being able to play both ends of the court capably, not because he was especially good. [...]
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With that, they were down to $145,582,564 in committed salary, $75,077,297 by my maths in luxury tax, for a $220,659,861 total commitment. With the seven-year stretch for Nader, they would be down to $144,268,608 in salary, $68,044,138 in tax, $212,302,746 in tandem, with 14 guaranteed contracts in place. In cutting surplus players who didn't play anyway in the forms of Johnson and Singler, retaining their star and their only good bench player from last season, while adding productive players in the forms of Schroeder and Noel, Oklahoma City have added much needed talent while just about keeping their payroll manageable. [...]
[...] That said, the struggles without him were only partly due to Roberson's own impact. In large part, they were also due to the lacklustre options that replaced him. Abrines was a timid shooter who had too many nothing games, Terrence Ferguson took even fewer dribbles than he, and although he was the best defender of the bench, Josh Huestis was somehow even less of an offensive threat that Roberson, while not being the tour de force on defence. Singler wasn't trusted at all, and ultimately, two point guard line-ups featuring Felton became a turned-to option, such was the plight at the position sans Roberson. Brewer shined in relative terms by virtue of being able to play both ends of the court capably, not because he was especially good. [...]
