Oklahoma tie down Ibaka to four-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have locked down Serge Ibaka to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth £32 million.

The 6-foot-10 centre was a key member in OKC’s run to the NBA finals last season and general manager Sam Presti is convinced they have secured a crucial player for his best years.

“At 23 years old (by the start of the season), we really do expect his best basketball to be in front of him” Presti said in a conference call on Saturday.

Following the contract extensions of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook along with that of Ibaka, the Thunder now lack the requisite budget to tie James Harden down.

The Olympic gold medallist was another vital member in Oklahoma’s run to the finals but, with his contract set to expire after next season, the team find themselves in a sticky situation financially.

“We’re going to continue our conversations with James. We very much value him,” said Presti. “We want him to be part of our organisation moving forward. We’re excited that he’s a member of the Thunder and we’re hopeful that he’ll be with us for years moving forward.”

An NBA centre that dominates his opposition defensively, Ibaka is in demand but chose to stay, ignoring the opportunity to let his contract run down and sign a max deal with another team that would have earnt him around £6.5 million more over the course of his contract.

The decision mirrors that of many recent stars eager to win a championship. In recent years players such as Chris Bosh, Steve Nash and Dwayne Wade have all taken decreases on their contract in order to sign with a title contender.

If the Thunder are to secure Harden’s services for the foreseeable future though the Thunder have two main choices. Firstly, they have the option of going over the salary cap (set at about £37 million) and therefore paying the luxury tax as a consequence.

Secondly, they hope Harden is willing to take a slight decrease in his contract while re-shaping their bench, bringing in backups on cheaper contracts and consequently opening up money in the budget to allow Harden to sign the extension.

With veteran free agent Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey being allowed to sign elsewhere along with no contract yet being offered to Derek Fisher, the second option appears to already be in motion.

“There’s still a commitment for us to try to find a way to make it work for everybody, but we know there’s going to be some difficult decisions that have to be made,” Presti said.

“We’re looking forward to trying to figure those things out, and having Serge in place is certainly a benefit for our organisation moving forward knowing that we have another core player that will be with us for the foreseeable future.”

The extension of Ibaka’s contract and the size of it show the Thunder’s understanding of how important he is to the young Oklahoma squad.

The 24th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Ibaka led the league in blocks in the 2010-11 season, tallying 198, before being named runner-up in the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year award.

This season he recorded a league-best 241 blocks, setting a franchise record of 3.65 per game as well as making significant strides in his offensive game.

Improving his mid-range jump shot as well as developing effective footwork inside, at 22 there is certainly still more to come.

“He’s come a long way in a short amount of time, but I’ve seen a lot of hard work that’s gone into that on his behalf, and that gives us confidence that he’s going to continue to work at it.” Presti said.

With Ibaka’s contract now sorted along with Durant and Westbrook, Presti now just has to convince Harden that a shot at a championship is worth more than the extra couple of million he could earn elsewhere.