This summer, the Thunder obviously have a lot on their plate. Kevin Durant is a free agent. Russell Westbrook is entering the final year of his contract. Dion Waiters is a restricted free agent with a relatively high qualifying offer after being the fourth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and Randy Foye is an unrestricted free agent. Plus, they have nothing in the way of maneuverability in terms of the draft, as they currently have zero picks.
However, beyond the Durant and Westbrook situations, it's quickly becoming apparent that they have one other important matter to handle this offseason: Locking up starting center Steven Adams, who should become a priority for the team sooner rather than later.
Adams, whose rookie contract runs through the end of the 2016-17 season, has taken a leap forward over the course of the last few months. Over the final 20 games of his regular season, Adams averaged 10 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 63 percent from the field. In the playoffs, he's been even better at 10.7 points and 10.1 rebounds.
Plus, it's worth remembering that he does all of this while providing many of the little things that don't show up in a box score as well as a strong defensive presence. Among the 20 centers in the NBA this season who defended at least 100 post-ups, Adams finished fourth in points-per-possession against, according to Synergy. In shots he defends at the rim, Adams only allows opponents to shoot 48.8 percent, a solidly above-average rate for an NBA big man. Plus, he also is mobile enough to wall off perimeter players in pick-and-roll situations and cut off penetration from guards in switches.
Basically, pair the all-around defense with the physical rebounding skill and the efficient finishing around the basket, and at 22 years old Adams has already become a pretty terrific NBA role player with room for growth. And you better believe that there are other NBA teams out there who would love to pay to take a chance on that growth, likely at the maximum level allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
As noted above, Adams will enter the last year of his contract next season, meaning the Thunder can begin negotiating a contract extension with the New Zealander this summer. Regardless of how the Durant sweepstakes turns out, it would behoove the Thunder to try to lock up Adams in the four months where they have exclusive negotiating rights as opposed to letting him play out the final year of his contract before getting to restricted free agency.
The reason it could help the Thunder to try to lock him up now as opposed to letting him test his worth on the open market has to do with the rising cap. This summer, the salary cap is set to rise to approximately $92 million. That wouldn't directly affect Adams. The next cap spike is the one that affects Adams, as the center could be eligible to receive a maximum contract offer that starts at approximately $25 million at a salary cap level of $108 million for the 2017-18 season. With a large assortment of teams on pace to possess that kind of cap space, it seems likely that, barring injury, Adams would be able to receive a deal in that neighborhood.
So the question becomes: Can the Thunder convince him to take a contract extension this summer to cut out some of the risk involved in letting things ride until the summer of 2017? Remember, Adams is a self-described "bushman" who grew up in a place that he says "smells like someone farted in your face all the time" with 17 brothers and sisters, according to a recent profile by ESPN. It might make more sense for him than it does for others to lock into an extension that pays him something like 4 years, $85 million rather than wait it out and risk it for a deal that could be considerably higher than that. Any number lower than the max that the Thunder can get Adams for would have to be considered a win given where his career seems to be heading at this stage.
We won't find out the answer to whether or not the Thunder can lock up Adams into the future until this summer, but one thing is certain: Adams has turned himself into a major player in the modern NBA, and he's going to be a priority for someone within the next couple of years. The Thunder can do themselves a favor by showing him that this summer.
