Brooks’ contract is up at the end of June and the two sides are reportedly “not close” to a new deal, according to a source.

The crux of the problem is that Brooks, based on the team’s accomplishments, has been vastly underpaid the last two seasons, making $1.9 million and $2.1 million. The Thunder originally offered him a three-year extension worth between $11 million and $12 million before the season and, in light of this year’s success, increased the offer to roughly four years for $16 million.

Those figures are in line with the NBA’s new economic model, where championship-winning Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made $3 million this year, according to sources, and last year’s championship-winning coach, Rick Carlisle of the Mavericks, signed an extension that only netted him a $100,000 raise — from $4.5 million to $4.6 million — in the first year of his new deal.

via ESPN’s Ric Bucher

Brooks is a huge part of this Thunder team going forward. The Thunder organization wants to keep him.

The Portland Trailblazers plan to go after Brooks if he is available so the Thunder would like to get this deal done before that. Perhaps Brooks is waiting on the kind of offer he could receive from Portland.

It is still most likely that Brooks will be back with the Thunder. He wants a 4-year deal and if the Thunder have to bump it up slightly from $16 million they probably will.

It’s not as if there are coaches waiting in line this offseason to come coach the Thunder. The rumors of Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are not true and Thunder GM Sam Presti called them “rubbish.”

Brooks would really want to go for him to not be back next season. That’s not the case so expect this deal to get done in the next few days.

The two sides have yet to come to an agreement. The lack of a decision a week or so ago was said to be because the Thunder would not offer Brooks a 4-year deal but now they have.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have added a fourth year to a contract extension offer to coach Scott Brooks, but the two sides still have significant differences on salary, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Brooks’ contract expires on Saturday, and he could immediately become a candidate for the Portland Trail Blazers , sources said. Thunder GM Sam Presti and Brooks’ agent, Warren LeGarie, have had conversations this week, but there is still a gap between the sides.

via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

Presti dismissed any rumors about the Thunder targeting any coach besides Brooks when names like Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were rumored last week.

Presti spoke very highly of Brooks during the team exit interviews saying how Brooks was just as important to the culture they are trying to create in Oklahoma City as anyone.

Brooks and the Thunder will likely come to an agreement soon. The delay in getting a deal done is largely in part to the Thunder’s deep run in the playoffs this year.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden is eligible for a contract extension this summer with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden fully expects to get one during the summer.

“They’ll do a pretty good job of working it out,” Harden said. “I’m focused on several other things right now. But when the time is (right), they’ll figure it out and it’ll be done.”

Harden loves it in OKC and calls the team a “family” and his teammates “brothers.” That is what this team is but Harden would likely be taking a little less money to stay in OKC.

Harden won the Sixth Man of the Year award this season and had a breakout season averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assist per game. Harden was integral in the Thunder’s playoff run until he starting slumping in the NBA Finals.

But Harden’s poor play in the Finals represented just how important he is to this team. If he even played a little bit better, the Thunder may very well have won the NBA title this season.

The Thunder organization has created something special and Harden knows that as well as anyone.

His personality by all accounts also lends to the fact that he’s be willing to sacrifice some cash to be a part of something special. Harden already understands the idea of sacrifice as he has come off the bench for the past two seasons despite being talented enough to start.

When the Thunder made all of their great draft picks beginning with Kevin Durant in 2007, it wasn’t all based on talent. They found high character guys that would fit together and improve over time.

Sam Presti and the entire Thunder organization have continued to sell that to their players, coaching staff and fans. It will work.

That’s why even though Harden’s future technically is unclear with the Thunder as well as head coach Scott Brooks’, they aren’t going anywhere.