Oklahoma City Thunder: Complete 2017 offseason grades

Re-signing Andre Roberson

Restricted free agency is something that could really derail a team. Yes, a team has the ability to match any offer sheet that players sign, but those offer sheets can sometimes be filled with detriments. The Thunder are lucky they avoided that, as they locked up restricted free agent Andre Roberson.

Roberson agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Thunder. Despite his obvious flaws, this is a great deal for the Thunder given what other wing players were receiving on the open market. Look at what other restricted free agents, such as Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe and Tim Hardaway Jr. signed for in recent offseasons; Roberson signed for less than half of what they did and he has one elite strength; his defense.

Roberson is an outstanding defender. Standing 6’7″, with a 7’0″ wingspan, Roberson is extremely versatile. He can defend virtually every position on the court, as he played power forward in his college days at Colorado. Combined with Paul George, the Thunder now have two above-average defenders on the wing to help slow down opponents’ perimeter play.

Roberson’s shortcomings offensively are well documented; teams basically leave him wide open because he can’t hurt them. He cannot shoot, which makes him a liability.

His defense alone makes him worth the $10 million he will make annually. If he can get close to even league-average as a 3-point shooter, the Thunder will have a huge steal on their hands.

Grade: A-