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You know what I mean. If they didn't trade him they would have just lost him to Free Agency.
So what you are saying is he had no choice in the matter and they could have forced him to stay and sign for less, right?
2013-2014 NBA Thread - IND @ WAS and OKC @ LAC on ESPN
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So what you are saying is he had no choice in the matter and they could have forced him to stay and sign for less, right?
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and he did that because of the owner wanting him to do that.
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I'm saying if they would have offered him the max extension that he wanted (somewhere in the ball park of 4 years 60 million) that he wanted, he more than likely would have stayed. Those guys were a close knit group. Of course he had a choice, but they tried to lowball him after giving Ibaka a max deal, basically saying he wasn't as valuable.
I edited my previous post with the article from ESPN the day of the trade.
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- Apr 23, 2014
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Exactly. If the man with the money said you can't spend it, what can you do. And I don't think this 4 million dollar number you mentioned is what it would have cost them in Luxury tax man. I may be wrong but not including the difference they would have had to pay Harden to "supposedly keep him" it would have cost them 13 million in taxes + the difference in what they were willing to pay, and what they would have had to pay him to compete with other offers ie Houston
- Apr 23, 2014
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I just think they valued Ibaka more, doesn't make them cheap. I personally wish they would have spent the dough. I think it cost them a Championship. They can't sign everyone to max contracts though. If they did they'd be the Nets/Lakers
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I personally think Harden going ghost in the Finals made the OKC brass think he was expendable.
My bad for using Presti, Clay Bennett is the culprit:
Bennett's net worth is $400 million. Since he bought the Thunder (as the SuperSonics) in 2006, he has not paid one dollar of luxury tax.
I just find it interesting they overpaid Ibaka, yet tried to underpay Harden.
My bad for using Presti, Clay Bennett is the culprit:
Bennett's net worth is $400 million. Since he bought the Thunder (as the SuperSonics) in 2006, he has not paid one dollar of luxury tax.
I just find it interesting they overpaid Ibaka, yet tried to underpay Harden.
Bernucca: Clay Bennett’s skimping may cost him Kevin Durant, too
15 Comments
By Chris Bernucca
September 10, 2013 at 1:46 PM
Jerry WestKevin Durant is a great player. He deserves a great owner.
Durant may not know it yet, but he is becoming this generation’s Jerry West: a fantastic talent and class act whose career was marked by finishing second.
In 14 seasons, West twice finished second in scoring (also winning once). He never won an MVP award, finishing third once and second a record four times. And he lost the NBA Finals seven times before finally winning in his 13th season.
In six seasons, Durant has finished second in scoring once (last season, ending his three-year reign). He has never won an MVP award, finishing second three times already. And he lost in the NBA Finals in 2012, his only trip thus far.
In an era when owners held all the power, West played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In an era where superstars call the shots, Durant has played his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And Durant figures to be in Oklahoma City a while. For one, he has three years and $57 million left on his contract. For another, he said so himself, just last week.
Speaking to fans during a Nike Tour in France, Durant was asked whether a different team was in his future.
“I like where I’m at right now,” he said. “I enjoy playing for OKC. As of today, I love it there, man. I want to be there. I love the fans, I love my team, I love everything about the city. I don’t have any plans to move.”
This is why Durant is a class act. He gave a fair answer to an unfair question. Not knowing what the future may hold, can anyone – let alone a superstar basketball player with a limited earnings window – really say they are sure they will be in the same city working for the same company three years from now? Note his use of the words “right now.”
Clay Bennett ThunderOne of the variables that could influence Durant is how much Thunder owner Clay Bennett is interested in not finishing second. And over the last couple of offseasons, that interest hasn’t exactly been prevalent.
Bennett’s net worth is $400 million. Since he bought the Thunder (as the SuperSonics) in 2006, he has not paid one dollar of luxury tax.
The Thunder certainly are not alone in that regard. In those same eight seasons, a dozen other teams also have paid no luxury tax. Those 12 teams have combined for just 36 playoff appearances in 96 opportunities, or 37.5 percent. And none of those postseason trips have resulted in a trip to the NBA Finals.
The Thunder bucked those odds when they reached the 2012 NBA Finals as a precocious group with loads of young talent and a very bright future. Perhaps too bright, because it seems to have obscured Bennett’s long-term vision.
Since reaching the NBA Finals, Bennett has maintained his red line stance on the luxury tax with diminishing returns. To wit:
Last summer, the Thunder could have created more flexibility beneath the tax threshold and increased their chances of retaining James Harden – clearly a top-10 player masquerading as a sixth man – by using the amnesty clause on center Kendrick Perkins, whose lack of usefulness was on full display in the NBA Finals. They chose not to, even though Perkins’ remaining contract would not count toward James Harden cropthe tax.
With extension decisions looming on both Harden and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder first signed Ibaka, whose ascent to top-10 status is highly unlikely and years away. Nevertheless, they overpaid him at $49 million over four years, more money than All-Star big men Al Horford and Joakim Noah received from their clubs.
Those decisions and Bennett’s refusal to pay tax forced the Thunder into one of the worst trades in NBA history when they sent Harden and spare parts to Houston for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a pair of first-round picks and a second-round pick. No one who watched the playoffs last season would say Martin was an adequate replacement for Harden. And Ibaka didn’t pick up the slack, either.
This summer, the Thunder again had the opportunity to use the amnesty provision on Perkins, whose contract got one year shorter as his play got even worse. But Bennett’s red line continued to include Kendrick Perkins“dead money” even if it did not count toward the tax.
Martin was a free agent and certainly wasn’t going to command the $11 million he made last season, given his advancing age and role reduction. Bennett’s unwillingness to use the amnesty provision and stance on the tax severely limited what the Thunder could give Martin, who signed for $28 million over four years with Minnesota — but said he would have taken less to stay in Oklahoma City. So ask yourself if you would rather have Martin at $6 million or Perkins at $8.3 million.
To save some face, the Thunder engineered a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks that netted neither a player nor draft pick but the rights to Szymon Szewczyk and a $7 million trade exception. That means the Thunder’s net in the Harden trade is now Lamb, rookie center Steven Adams (who probably isn’t going to play much because Perkins is still around), a first-round pick, a second-round pick, a Eurostash who probably will never play in the NBA and a trade exception that expires in less than a year and can only be used to take back a player who makes real money that counts toward the tax. Shrewd? Not.
Martin’s departure also means that in the last year, the role of first wing off the Thunder’s bench has gone from a top-10 player to Lamb, who has played 147 career minutes, including none that have ever mattered.
After signing No. 12 pick Adams to the standard 120 percent of the rookie salary scale, the Thunder offered No. 27 pick Andre Roberson just 80 percent of the rookie salary scale, the lowest amount allowed. Faced with becoming a free agent in a closing market, Roberson felt he had no choice but to take the offer.
The Thunder also expressed an interest in Mike Miller after he was waived by Miami via amnesty. As a 10-year veteran, Miller would command a minimum of $1.4 million from any team as a free agent. The Thunder could have easily claimed Miller with a bid of $2 million, which would have put them less than $1 million into tax territory, from which they could have escaped through a subsequent deal. Instead, they rolled the dice on trying to woo him with their “all for one, one for all” culture and lost him to conference rival Memphis.
When Miller signed with Memphis, a source said one of his reasons was he thought the Grizzlies were closer Kevin Durant cropto the championship than any of the teams pursuing him, including the Thunder. While Durant may disagree (and so do we, at least this season), that had to register somewhere in his thought process.
And Bennett’s chintz extends beyond the court as well.
After a devastating tornado blew through Oklahoma in May, Durant donated $1 million of his own money to the relief efforts. It wasn’t until Durant’s generosity became public that Bennett – whose net worth is at least four times that of Durant’s – ponied up on behalf of the Thunder. The lifelong resident of Oklahoma gave the same $1 million as his employee.
You can argue the merits of the Thunder’s financial decisions over the last two summers. Harden wanted to be a true franchise player, which wasn’t going to happen in Oklahoma City. Ibaka may be overpaid now but could be a relative bargain two years from now. No one knew the previously indestructible Russell Westbrook would go down with an injury. For all his shortcomings, Perkins can defend the low post, where Dwight Howard operates. Kevin Martin won’t be a $7 million player three years from now. And the youngsters won’t get better if they don’t play.
Yes, it’s easy to sit here and spend someone else’s money. Bennett’s team plays in the 44th-largest market in the country. Among NBA cities, only Memphis and New Orleans are smaller. But it was Bennett’s decision to move the franchise from Seattle, the 14th-largest market. So we’re not playing any violins.
And yes, Bennett owns the Thunder and can set the payroll threshold wherever he wants. However, it should be pointed out that according to Forbes, the team has an operating income of nearly $90 million (which constitutes a profit) over the last four available years. Again, no handkerchiefs are necessary.
And yes, Bennett is entitled to his firm belief that spending money and winning championships are mutually exclusive. But he should know that the last six NBA champions were taxpayers. That could be a coincidence. Or it could be a trend.
However, clearly a trend is Durant’s current status as second banana in the NBA’s pecking order behind LeBron James. There is no shame in that; Durant could just be the wrong guy at the wrong time, much the way West was to Bill Russell or Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing were to Michael Jordan.
Jay-ZBut you have to wonder if Durant will feel the same way about Oklahoma City three years from now if Bennett continues to ask players to make financial sacrifices and rake in revenue without raising payroll, depriving the Thunder and their loyal fan base of a championship. Because that’s not “all for one and one for all.”
That’s “all for me.”
When his current contract expires, Durant will be 27, still in his prime with nine years under his belt, represented by a new agent, Jay-Z. That’s nine years of virtually unmatched excellence on and off the court. Nine years of finishing second — or worse, depending on what is to come. Nine years of trying to fill the only void in his Hall of Fame resume.
There’s probably a great owner out there who would love to help him. Time, and money, will tell.
15 Comments
By Chris Bernucca
September 10, 2013 at 1:46 PM
Jerry WestKevin Durant is a great player. He deserves a great owner.
Durant may not know it yet, but he is becoming this generation’s Jerry West: a fantastic talent and class act whose career was marked by finishing second.
In 14 seasons, West twice finished second in scoring (also winning once). He never won an MVP award, finishing third once and second a record four times. And he lost the NBA Finals seven times before finally winning in his 13th season.
In six seasons, Durant has finished second in scoring once (last season, ending his three-year reign). He has never won an MVP award, finishing second three times already. And he lost in the NBA Finals in 2012, his only trip thus far.
In an era when owners held all the power, West played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In an era where superstars call the shots, Durant has played his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And Durant figures to be in Oklahoma City a while. For one, he has three years and $57 million left on his contract. For another, he said so himself, just last week.
Speaking to fans during a Nike Tour in France, Durant was asked whether a different team was in his future.
“I like where I’m at right now,” he said. “I enjoy playing for OKC. As of today, I love it there, man. I want to be there. I love the fans, I love my team, I love everything about the city. I don’t have any plans to move.”
This is why Durant is a class act. He gave a fair answer to an unfair question. Not knowing what the future may hold, can anyone – let alone a superstar basketball player with a limited earnings window – really say they are sure they will be in the same city working for the same company three years from now? Note his use of the words “right now.”
Clay Bennett ThunderOne of the variables that could influence Durant is how much Thunder owner Clay Bennett is interested in not finishing second. And over the last couple of offseasons, that interest hasn’t exactly been prevalent.
Bennett’s net worth is $400 million. Since he bought the Thunder (as the SuperSonics) in 2006, he has not paid one dollar of luxury tax.
The Thunder certainly are not alone in that regard. In those same eight seasons, a dozen other teams also have paid no luxury tax. Those 12 teams have combined for just 36 playoff appearances in 96 opportunities, or 37.5 percent. And none of those postseason trips have resulted in a trip to the NBA Finals.
The Thunder bucked those odds when they reached the 2012 NBA Finals as a precocious group with loads of young talent and a very bright future. Perhaps too bright, because it seems to have obscured Bennett’s long-term vision.
Since reaching the NBA Finals, Bennett has maintained his red line stance on the luxury tax with diminishing returns. To wit:
Last summer, the Thunder could have created more flexibility beneath the tax threshold and increased their chances of retaining James Harden – clearly a top-10 player masquerading as a sixth man – by using the amnesty clause on center Kendrick Perkins, whose lack of usefulness was on full display in the NBA Finals. They chose not to, even though Perkins’ remaining contract would not count toward James Harden cropthe tax.
With extension decisions looming on both Harden and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder first signed Ibaka, whose ascent to top-10 status is highly unlikely and years away. Nevertheless, they overpaid him at $49 million over four years, more money than All-Star big men Al Horford and Joakim Noah received from their clubs.
Those decisions and Bennett’s refusal to pay tax forced the Thunder into one of the worst trades in NBA history when they sent Harden and spare parts to Houston for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a pair of first-round picks and a second-round pick. No one who watched the playoffs last season would say Martin was an adequate replacement for Harden. And Ibaka didn’t pick up the slack, either.
This summer, the Thunder again had the opportunity to use the amnesty provision on Perkins, whose contract got one year shorter as his play got even worse. But Bennett’s red line continued to include Kendrick Perkins“dead money” even if it did not count toward the tax.
Martin was a free agent and certainly wasn’t going to command the $11 million he made last season, given his advancing age and role reduction. Bennett’s unwillingness to use the amnesty provision and stance on the tax severely limited what the Thunder could give Martin, who signed for $28 million over four years with Minnesota — but said he would have taken less to stay in Oklahoma City. So ask yourself if you would rather have Martin at $6 million or Perkins at $8.3 million.
To save some face, the Thunder engineered a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks that netted neither a player nor draft pick but the rights to Szymon Szewczyk and a $7 million trade exception. That means the Thunder’s net in the Harden trade is now Lamb, rookie center Steven Adams (who probably isn’t going to play much because Perkins is still around), a first-round pick, a second-round pick, a Eurostash who probably will never play in the NBA and a trade exception that expires in less than a year and can only be used to take back a player who makes real money that counts toward the tax. Shrewd? Not.
Martin’s departure also means that in the last year, the role of first wing off the Thunder’s bench has gone from a top-10 player to Lamb, who has played 147 career minutes, including none that have ever mattered.
After signing No. 12 pick Adams to the standard 120 percent of the rookie salary scale, the Thunder offered No. 27 pick Andre Roberson just 80 percent of the rookie salary scale, the lowest amount allowed. Faced with becoming a free agent in a closing market, Roberson felt he had no choice but to take the offer.
The Thunder also expressed an interest in Mike Miller after he was waived by Miami via amnesty. As a 10-year veteran, Miller would command a minimum of $1.4 million from any team as a free agent. The Thunder could have easily claimed Miller with a bid of $2 million, which would have put them less than $1 million into tax territory, from which they could have escaped through a subsequent deal. Instead, they rolled the dice on trying to woo him with their “all for one, one for all” culture and lost him to conference rival Memphis.
When Miller signed with Memphis, a source said one of his reasons was he thought the Grizzlies were closer Kevin Durant cropto the championship than any of the teams pursuing him, including the Thunder. While Durant may disagree (and so do we, at least this season), that had to register somewhere in his thought process.
And Bennett’s chintz extends beyond the court as well.
After a devastating tornado blew through Oklahoma in May, Durant donated $1 million of his own money to the relief efforts. It wasn’t until Durant’s generosity became public that Bennett – whose net worth is at least four times that of Durant’s – ponied up on behalf of the Thunder. The lifelong resident of Oklahoma gave the same $1 million as his employee.
You can argue the merits of the Thunder’s financial decisions over the last two summers. Harden wanted to be a true franchise player, which wasn’t going to happen in Oklahoma City. Ibaka may be overpaid now but could be a relative bargain two years from now. No one knew the previously indestructible Russell Westbrook would go down with an injury. For all his shortcomings, Perkins can defend the low post, where Dwight Howard operates. Kevin Martin won’t be a $7 million player three years from now. And the youngsters won’t get better if they don’t play.
Yes, it’s easy to sit here and spend someone else’s money. Bennett’s team plays in the 44th-largest market in the country. Among NBA cities, only Memphis and New Orleans are smaller. But it was Bennett’s decision to move the franchise from Seattle, the 14th-largest market. So we’re not playing any violins.
And yes, Bennett owns the Thunder and can set the payroll threshold wherever he wants. However, it should be pointed out that according to Forbes, the team has an operating income of nearly $90 million (which constitutes a profit) over the last four available years. Again, no handkerchiefs are necessary.
And yes, Bennett is entitled to his firm belief that spending money and winning championships are mutually exclusive. But he should know that the last six NBA champions were taxpayers. That could be a coincidence. Or it could be a trend.
However, clearly a trend is Durant’s current status as second banana in the NBA’s pecking order behind LeBron James. There is no shame in that; Durant could just be the wrong guy at the wrong time, much the way West was to Bill Russell or Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing were to Michael Jordan.
Jay-ZBut you have to wonder if Durant will feel the same way about Oklahoma City three years from now if Bennett continues to ask players to make financial sacrifices and rake in revenue without raising payroll, depriving the Thunder and their loyal fan base of a championship. Because that’s not “all for one and one for all.”
That’s “all for me.”
When his current contract expires, Durant will be 27, still in his prime with nine years under his belt, represented by a new agent, Jay-Z. That’s nine years of virtually unmatched excellence on and off the court. Nine years of finishing second — or worse, depending on what is to come. Nine years of trying to fill the only void in his Hall of Fame resume.
There’s probably a great owner out there who would love to help him. Time, and money, will tell.
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- Apr 24, 2005
- 43,678
- 8,689
Valuing Ibaka more than Harden(When you already have two young scorers) = / = being cheap when it comes time to resign a top 5 player in the entire league & a top 5 pg
The situations are not the same at all
The situations are not the same at all
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- Jan 30, 2007
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Perkins should have caught the amnesty hammer
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Supporter
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Oh I have no doubt he'll pay whatever to TRY and keep KD and Russ when the time comes, it's just that his penny pinching may have cost them title(s) and the opportunity to keep these guys when that time comes. If he pays Reggie when the time comes, I'll be proven wrong, but until then. Clay is a cheapskate. He did it with Jeff Green, did it with Harden, Reggie is up to bat next.
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- Apr 23, 2014
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I can't really blame him on the Luxury Tax. Thats just free money that the NBA takes just because they can. Teams ought to be able to pay any amount to any player just like the MLB. It wouldn't make much of a difference. You'd still have the same few teams on top year in and year out, just the NBA wouldn't get the Lord knows how many millions they steal from the owners each year with a so called Luxury Tax. That's worse than paying Insurance in my book, and I think Insurance is the Devil
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Supporter
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It makes no sense for mediocre to bad teams to go into that tax bill well unless your the Knicks historically or the Nets this year, but when you are a bonafide championship contender year in and out, you're really going to let a few mil which to him is nothing stop you from putting the best possible product on the floor and getting a title. The Heat, Lakers, Dallas, Celtics, etc all have done it and it's worked.
- Sep 20, 2008
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- Oct 24, 2010
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hate when theres no games on. i love the first round 
im posting less and getting bored with no games.
this season sucked since i wasnt as interested during the regular season :x
at least i hope everyone is healthy next season and pistons make some moves this summer to make the season that much better.
im posting less and getting bored with no games.
this season sucked since i wasnt as interested during the regular season :x
at least i hope everyone is healthy next season and pistons make some moves this summer to make the season that much better.
- Jun 1, 2011
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Lmao this gif is still funny
Dude's such a goof, he wants to be Wade so bad
- Jan 20, 2002
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if i recall, his wife is the one with all the money. her family is extremely wealthy
doubt fans start questioning whether owners are willing to spend bc he brought the team to the city
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Doesn't matter that the NBA isn't on because...
The Preakness is on man. Recognize
The Preakness is on man. Recognize
- Aug 21, 2005
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Still paying and taking Harden over Serge if presented
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Hes got oil and gas stuff kind of money. Her family owned like the Daily Oklahoman Newspaper and and a bunch of other stuff. They both poo money.
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If that's wasn't the most snitchest, beta type **** I've ever seen on a basketball court. Hilarious, but scumbagness at it's finest.
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California Chrome
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Bobcats also going back to HornetsMark Jackson back working at ESPN
- Sep 13, 2012
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nvm I got u mixed up with another nter. My bad.
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