Oklahoma City Thunder: Offseason Hinges On Kevin Durant

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May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) reacts during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Waiters Island

Kevin Durant is not Oklahoma City’s only free agent this season. Dion Waiters, acquired last year in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, just completed his fourth NBA season and hits restricted free agency this summer.

Selected No. 4 overall by the Cavaliers in 2012, Waiters had a handle of bright moments that were washed out in a sea of ball stopping, bricked jumpers, and a constant state of calling for the ball. When LeBron James arrived in the summer of 2014, Waiters looked like an ideal complement, a sixth man who could run the bench offense and spot up around Kyrie Irving or James.

That experiment did not work out, as Waiters shot 25.6 percent from three-point distance and gummed up the offense that coach David Blatt was trying to install in Cleveland. When it became apparent that changes to the roster had to be made, Waiters was the first player shipped out of town.

In about a season and a half of basketball, Waiters’ role as the much-needed “3-and-D” wing for the Thunder has been inconsistent at best. For every corner three-pointer he drained off a Russell Westbrook drive, there was a pump fake-dribble-crossover-contested jumper sequence that torpedoed a possession.

Then in the playoffs something happened, and Waiters came alive. In his first career postseason his numbers didn’t jump off the page, but suddenly he fit into his role like a glove.

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Gone were the possession-killing isolation plays, or the mind-numbing turnovers. Instead he was playing lights-out defense on players like Danny Green and Klay Thompson, passing the ball quickly and accurately, and simply helping his team win.

Now the Thunder are faced with a decision. With the cap leaping to new heights and the league moving to smaller, wing-loaded lineups, the amount of money Dion Waiters could make on the open market is uncertain. The Thunder have matching rights for any contract he signs, but how much is too much to pay a player after one postseason of inspired play?

The problem with signing Waiters to a large contract will hit them not this season but next. If Durant, Westbrook, or both leave the Thunder, they will need to maximize their available cap space to restock the cupboard. If they stay, the re-signing of Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson could push this small-market organization into unprecedented luxury tax payments.

For his part, Dion Waiters has communicated he would like to stay. Per Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript:

Waiters: “I would like to stay. Of course. Like I said before, I’ve never been connected to a group of guys like this."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) June 1, 2016

Will Waiters take a discount to stay with this team? Or will he seek the largest contract he can find on the open market? If it’s the first, he could continue to see team success as a smaller piece on a great team. If it’s the latter, the Thunder may wave goodbye as he departs for more lucrative waters.

Next: Extension Talks

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