Andre Roberson Future with OKC Thunder tied to other free agents
By Gideon Lim
Andre Roberson had a fantastic season this year. But OKC Thunder’s salary cap woes means he faces an uphill battle to re-sign with the team. It could come down to a choice between him and Taj Gibson.
With Andre Roberson set to enter free agency, one thing is clear the franchise and player have a common interest. Both the OKC Thunder and Roberson want to continue this partnership. Roberson falls into the restricted free agent category. So, unless a compelling offer comes in, and the Thunder refuse to match, he will probably stick around for at least one more season. The problem is right now, it seems likely he will receive that kind of offer. The question left for Sam Presti to answer is at what price does he start letting Roberson walk?
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A lot of times, people paint free agency as a cold, emotionless process. News sites imagine teams flush with cash throwing big money deals at players and assuming they will leave.
But watching Roberson’s exit interview paints a different story. It becomes clear free agency is an emotional process and will influence Roberson’s decision.
On one hand, the fact Andre Roberson could not agree to an extension with the team shows he was probably looking for more cash than what Presti was ready to offer. And, fair enough to the man. During a recent article reviewing Roberson’s 2016-17 campaign, I recognized Roberson for a truly outstanding season. Bottom line, the wing man has every right to chase his bucks after putting in the work.
Is Mutual Interest Enough?
On the other hand, Andre Roberson knows the Thunder is quite the place to be. And, I mean this factually, not just because I’m a Thunder fan. Sure, a team like the Nets can offer him more cash than most. But, Andre Roberson knows he will end up being a good player on a bad team, earning his cash without being able to go through the rush and rigor of the playoffs. Even if the Thunder are not contenders yet, at least there is a stability to the system. Each player is focused on adapting to Russell Westbrook’s strengths and picking up new plays from the playbook.
So it will not be on-court or even locker room issues that will define where Roberson will be playing next season. As Roberson said in his exit interview, the business will take care of itself. This battle will be fought between his agent and Presti. But what exactly will they be looking at?