Fans fretting about the future of the Thunder in 2016 should relax a little. Despite the hoopla surrounding Kevin Durant’s upcoming free agency, that’s not the offseason to get anxious about.
Come July 2017, we may need to ask state officials to dump Xanax into the water supply. That’s when both Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka will likely enter unrestricted free agency. And Durant could join them as well.
Regardless of where Durant eventually signs, he can maximize his future earnings by taking a one-year deal in 2016 (with a player option for another season as a safety net) and then aim for a long-term, maximum salary contract in 2017.