At this point, the Oklahoma City Thunder are probably glad that at least somebody is potentially committed to them for the long run.
According to a report by Zach Lowe of ESPN on Tuesday, newly-acquired shooting guard Victor Oladipo is looking for a max contract extension from the Thunder.
Oladipo, 24, averaged 16.0 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 3.9 assists per game for the Orlando Magic last season. He was acquired by Oklahoma City as a part of the Serge Ibaka trade on Draft Night 2016.
The former No. 2 overall pick is a talented all-around 2-guard with particularly strong one-on-one defensive skill. But he’s not quite worth max money just yet, even despite what the market has been throwing at players of his position this summer. Oladipo has a streaky jump shot (he’s a career 33.9 percent shooter from deep), struggles to convert in the paint (shooting just 56.0 percent inside the restricted area last season), and doesn’t get to the line at an acceptable rate for a shooting guard (just 4.0 free throw attempts per game for his career). He was relegated to a sixth man role in Orlando for some of last year, which may have partially inflated his individual counting stats.
Still, the Thunder are reeling after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent uncertainty regarding Russell Westbrook’s future with the team. Now that they have a young, potentially core piece willing to lock in with them long-term, Oklahoma City might have no choice but to hammer out an extension for him, no matter what the salary hit may be.
H/T RealGM
*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*
