Serge Ibaka, Thunder Reportedly Agree To 4-Year, $48 Million Extension

Why Serge Ibaka's Extension Makes It More Likely James Harden Stays

Why Serge Ibaka's new contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder makes it more likely, not less, that James Harden follows suit.

What Does Serge Ibaka's Extension Mean For James Harden?

Reports of the Oklahoma City Thunder signing Serge Ibaka to a four-year contract extension were certainly great news for any Thunder fan to wake up to on Saturday morning. But that enthusiasm was surely tempered by the next thought: what about James Harden?

SB Nation's Thunder blog Welcome To Loud City went through that process after digesting the news of the four-year, $48 million extension OKC agreed to with Ibaka. While general manager Sam Presti inked a favorable deal with Ibaka, it still doesn't leave any reasonable room under the salary cap to keep Harden past next season. Barring Harden agreeing to a below-market contract or OKC ownership's willingness to pay the luxury tax, WTLC thinks the Thunder made the best of the tough decisions facing them in this situation.

When it comes right down to it, I love what happened today. Ibaka was signed for an absolute steal of a contract, and the Thunder are virtually guaranteed to be a playoff team for years to come. He's still got a lot of growing to do in terms of scoring, and showed excellent ability while playing for Spain this Summer. Eric Maynor will be back to replace Harden's handling, and while his scoring might be something the Thunder can never replace, it's a heck of a lot harder to find a replacement for post defense than it is for perimeter scoring.

For more on the Ibaka and the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City and SB Nation Kansas City.

Serge Ibaka's Contract Extension Worth $48 Million, According To Report

The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension with Serge Ibaka, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Ibaka was set to become a free agent following the 2012-13 season, so this extension keeps the Thunder out of any bidding wars to keep Ibaka defending and blocking shots next to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for another four years.

The three Thunder stars will take up around $45-$50 million of the team's salary cap during the three years their contracts overlap. If the NBA salary cap continues to hover around the current $58 million, that doesn't leave a lot of money to fill out the remainder of the roster.

It also doesn't leave the Thunder with many options to re-sign guard James Harden when his contract is up after the 2012-13 season. The reigning NBA sixth man of the year will be a restricted free agent if he is not extended before next summer.

For more on the Ibaka and the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City and SB Nation Kansas City.

Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder Reportedly Agree To 4-Year Extension

The Thunder locked up Serge Ibaka, signing the shot blocker to a four-year extension.