Oklahoma City Thunder agree to contract extension with Serge Ibaka – NBA Report
According to sources close to the situation, NBA finalists Oklahoma City Thunder have already agreed to a contract extension with their big man, Serge Ibaka.
Ibaka was on the Spanish national team that lost to the U.S team in the gold medal game in the London Olympics last week, and it was thought that the contract extension talks might take a little longer because of that. However,
the Thunder front office showed their commitment towards keeping a winning core intact when they quickly went over the negotiations and mutually decided on a contract extension which will pay Ibaka $40 million plus over the next four years. The player was
scheduled to become a restricted free agent next summer.
With the extension, the Thunder have decided to keep the starting core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka together.
The extension does not come as a surprise at all, as everyone expected the Thunder to return next season with the same line-up that had them in the NBA Finals in the previous season. Plus, Ibaka is a rare talent who is an exceptional
shot blocker, can play good defence and has a decent jump shot which makes him hard to defend.
The extension seals the fate of Ibaka for the next four years, which means James Harden is the only player out of the Thunder “big four” whose contract is not confirmed yet. Harden is also set to become a restricted free agent
next summer, and it was said that the Thunder might only have enough money to keep Ibaka or Harden. The signing of Ibaka might start some rumours about Harden being traded, but the fact remains that the Thunder would be willing to go into the luxury tax in
order to keep the roster the same.
The Thunder have built this roster over 4 tough seasons and now that they are beginning to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. The club will not let go of their players that easily and plus they have a real chance of clinching
multiple NBA championships, and they would like to take a shot at the opportunity at least, before deciding against it.
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