The 2016/17 campaign was a banner season for Russell Westbrook, who may take home his first MVP award after averaging a triple-double. It was about as successful a year as the Thunder could have expected after losing Kevin Durant, but players like Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo didn’t take big steps forward after signing long-term deals, as the team might’ve hoped. Heading into the summer, the Thunder are over the cap and will have to get creative to further bolster their roster.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Thunder financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Russell Westbrook ($28,530,608)
- Steven Adams ($22,471,911)
- Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
- Enes Kanter ($17,884,176)
- Alex Abrines ($5,725,000)
- Kyle Singler ($4,666,500)
- Doug McDermott ($3,294,994)
- Domantas Sabonis ($2,550,000)
- Ronnie Price ($2,442,455) — Waived
- Josh Huestis ($1,471,382)
- Total: $110,037,026
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Jerami Grant ($1,524,305)
- Total: $1,524,305
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Semaj Christon ($1,312,611)1
- Total: $1,312,611
Restricted Free Agents
- Andre Roberson ($4,588,840 qualifying offer / $5,457,681 cap hold)
- Total: $5,457,681
Cap Holds
- Taj Gibson ($13,425,000)
- Nick Collison ($7,125,000)
- Norris Cole ($1,471,382)
- No. 21 overall pick ($1,785,000)
- Total: $23,806,382
Trade Exceptions
- Ersan Ilyasova TPE ($4,936,529) — Expires 11/1/17
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: –$12,453,256
- After Durant departed in free agency last July, the Thunder’s books looked wide open for the foreseeable future, creating a number of different paths the team could go down. However, in the subsequent months, Oklahoma City finalize lucrative extensions for Westbrook, Oladipo, and Adams. Those new deals will count for more than $72MM on the Thunder’s books for 2017/18, limiting the club’s flexibility, barring trades. With nine guaranteed salaries, the cap hold for their first-rounder, and two empty roster charges, the Thunder are carrying $113,453,256 in projected salary for ’17/18, and that’s assuming they renounce all their free agents, including Roberson. They won’t have cap room.
Footnotes:
- Christon’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 8.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
I can’t believe we have to watch Kyle singler make 5 mil a year for the next 2 years to be terrible and wear a man bun…..
I mean, honestly, if he just got rid of the man bun, 5 mil probably wouldn’t even be that bad!
I bet Westbrook switches teams in a year or two. He wants to win too bad, won’t do it in OKC.
Oladipo and Kanter are massively over-paid and Adams, while decent, isn’t worth that high of a salary either.
RW is a one-man show, figuratively and literally.