Filed under: NBA Rumors, Thunder, NBA Transactions
The Oklahoma City Thunder have extended the contract of would-be free agent center Nick Collison through the 2014-15 season, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Collison, a key bench contributor for Scott Brooks in OKC, earns $17 million by signing the extension. But a third of that cash will be added to Collison's salary this season as a signing bonus, Stein reports.The Thunder are $6.5 million under the cap, allowing the team to assign Collison's signing bonus to this season's cap figure instead of it being spread evenly over the life of the deal. While that spoils the opportunity for the Thunder to sign a midseason free agent of note (not that there is anyone who'd qualify) or take on an unbalanced trade using the cap space, it does allow the team to keep Collison's cap impact incredibly low for the next four seasons.
Kevin Durant's max extension kicks in next season. Should Oklahoma City want to keep restricted free agent to be Jeff Green, he must be paid this summer. Russell Westbrook will be eligible for an extension next summer that would kick in for the 2012-13 season.
Of course, if Collison is locked up, it's worth wondering how pressed to keep Green the Thunder will be. Serge Ibaka, another kid, looks like a real find at power forward, and the team hopes to develop Cole Aldrich into the tough, big defender OKC needs at center. With Collison as a reliable fill-in at both big positions at such a discount, the Thunder may simply not feel any pressure to spend big on Green.
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/23/thunder-use-cap-space-to-extend-nick-collison/
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