Isaiah Roby has his contract option picked up, but what is his future outlook?

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Isaiah Roby from the Dallas Mavericks what feels like a decade ago, just due to how the world has turned since the pandemic. It was a money-saving move from the Mavericks, it was cheaper to cut Justin Patton at the time than Roby to clear the way for Willie Cauley-Stein. Though, the Mavericks just months prior valued the Nebraska product so high that they made him the highest-paid second-round pick in NBA history at the time.

That contract hit its fork in the road on Wednesday when the Oklahoma City Thunder had to decide to pick up or decline his 1.9-million dollar team option. The Thunder decided to pick up Roby’s 1.9 million dollar team option, which will become fully guaranteed if he is on the roster after July 3rd.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have picked up the team option for Isaiah Roby allowing him to play under contract on a 1.9 million dollar expiring deal for the 2022-23 season

Isaiah Roby still does not believe he has reached his full potential yet, and the Nebraska product will have another training camp to prove that. While many fans are cycling Sunday as a day to watch for Isaiah Roby, it just would not make sense for the OKC Thunder to cut him and not guarantee Roby’s 1.9 million dollars.

The Thunder could have just declined his team option and not paid him a penny of the 1.9 million rather than paying part of that deal, and in paying part of that deal, the team actually is not doing Roby much of a favor. If they were to waive Roby on Sunday, they tied up the young forward for the first three days of free agency as money is flying and roster spots are disappearing.

Isaiah Roby is going to get a chance to prove himself all over again in October at the team’s training camp. While I would not lock Roby into the roster just yet, I also would throw out a scenario of him being waived on Sunday.

As of now, Roby will play this season on an expiring 1.9 million dollar contract, after averaging ten points, four rebounds, and an assist per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor and 44 percent shooting from distance.

The 24-year-old improved his rim finishing percentage by seven percentage points (68 percent shooting at the rim), shot 50 percent from the corner on three-pointers, and overall leaped up from 31 percent from distance to stroking the trey ball at a 46 percent clip.

While Isaiah Roby improved on the defensive end, especially in the passing lanes, his 6’8 230-pound frame does not allow him to play that center spot effectively, while also not being twitchy and fast enough to defend at the perimeter.

While Isaiah Roby has a high motor, great effort, and is fundamentally in the right spot more often than not without fouling at a high clip, his body makes him a tweener on the defensive end of the floor.

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti and head coach Mark Daigneault have been preaching about the competitiveness of training camp since the season ended. The team is comfortable bringing 20 guys into camp and watching them battle it out, taking the very best 17 players (including two two-way slots) even if that means eating some guaranteed money.

Isaiah Roby has to come into training camp ready to prove himself again and judging from what we know about the Nebraska swing man, I have no doubts he will.