Under-the-radar offseason move tabbed as 'fantastic piece of business' for Thunder

Though the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency has been the move that has drawn the most attention from fans and news cycles, Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports seems to believe there's one particular "under-the-radar" move made by this OKC Thunder team that could prove to be just as beneficial.

In a recently penned piece, the senior sports writer discussed seven specific signings from across the association this offseason that don't seem to be garnering the recognition that he believes they deserve.

Among them is Oklahoma City's decision to extend their two-way wing, Isaiah Joe, to a four-year, $48-million contract, a move that Devine described as a "fantastic piece of business."

OKC Thunder praised for framework of Isaiah Joe contract extension

"Joe’s ability to set those screens — or at least feign like he’s setting them before flaring out beyond the arc in what’s commonly referred to as a “ghost” screen — and drill 3-pointers on the move adds spice and menace to Oklahoma City’s attack. He’s shot 41.2% from 3-point range on 9.5 attempts per 36 minutes across two seasons with the Thunder. Only five players in the NBA have matched that combination of accuracy and volume over the past two years: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo, Buddy Hield and Sam Hauser. And among players to hit at least 100 catch-and-shoot 3s last season, only six drilled them at a higher clip than Joe’s 43.4% mark: Curry, Norman Powell, Grayson Allen, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Sam Merrill."

Dan Devine

Since signing on with the Thunder back in 2022, Joe has proven himself to be a highly reliable rotation player who can play both sides of the ball and knock down shots from virtually anywhere on the floor.

Over the last two seasons, the 25-year-old finds himself posting impressive per-game averages of 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 41.2 percent from deep and sporting a player efficiency rating of 13.9 throughout.

On top of his on-court productivity that was compared in some ways to the likes of superstars Stephen Curry, Paul George, and Kevin Durant within the piece, Devine believes that the way in which the fifth-year pro's new deal is constructed makes his signing all the more praise-worthy, as it descends in annual salary ($12,991,650 and $12,362,338 from year one to two and then $11,323,006 during the final two seasons) and features a team option for the fourth and final year.

Add all of these talking points up, and couple them with the fact that the final years of his contract will come when the high-priced extensions of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are expected to hit the books, and, as Devine correctly noted, the decision for the Thunder to shell out this type of coin in the specific structure it was crafted "makes a ton of sense" for the franchise moving forward.