Friday Bolts – 7.3.15

Anthony Slater with good stuff on Enes Kanter: “But there remains no handshake deal, meaning Kanter’s camp either balked, is still mulling it over or counter-offered. Whatever the case, the longer this thing drags out the more likely it is Kanter flirts with other teams. Which is not something that necessarily concerns the Thunder. From an organizational standpoint, that’s the beauty of restricted free agency. As long as OKC is willing to foot the bill regardless of price, it can maintain a hard-line stance in negotiations, allowing Kanter to test the open market. If he does so, there are some potential positives stacking up for both sides.”

Arash Markazi of ESPN looks at what stars might make with no cap: “That competition would surely drive James’ price into the stratosphere, but there’d be plenty of money left to be spent on other franchise-type players. That’s how it’s worked in the endorsement market. While James might be in a class by himself in terms of global marketing and recognition, Kevin Durant isn’t that far behind him with $35 million in endorsements, according to Forbes. It’s not hard to see Durant, who was paid $19.1 million by the Oklahoma City Thunder, or Stephen Curry commanding free-market NBA salaries in the vicinity of $40 million.”

Summer league roster and schedule.

Berry Tramel: “That’s the kind of roster the Thunder has wanted and maybe now has. Sam Presti’s February trade of Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins brought back Enes Kanter, Singler, D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak. A January trade for Dion Waiters, the summer 2014 signing of Anthony Morrow and the 2014 drafting of Mitch McGary gave Scotty Brooks more options than ever before. Injuries, of course, wrecked the 2015 playoff hopes. But those moves have deepened the Thunder roster going forward. OKC’s free-agency frenzy came in the winter; the Thunder could match whatever contract offers Singler and Kanter might get, and Singler’s discussions never got that far. If Kanter flirts elsewhere, it’s likely not to matter. The Thunder will keep him.”

Did Reggie Jackson retire this offseason and not tell anyone? Why haven’t we heard anything about him on the market yet?

Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post: “It’s a wise decision for the Wizards to remain in the theoretical Durant sweepstakes. It’s a championship play, which is much better than building a team that would remain stuck at above average. But the gamble could come with a price — a chance at progress next season — and that may be a factor in Durant’s decision. And with half of the league expected to have cap space for a max-salary player next summer, the waiting game for Durant is about to become as stressful as it gets.”

Tramel on one-year deals: “But what if Kevin Durant and the injury scourge of the most recent NBA season had something to do with it? The 2015 NBA playoffs were marred by injuries. The Thunder didn’t even make it, thanks to the early-season losses of Durant and Russell Westbrook, and the late-season losses of Durant and Serge Ibaka. But the Cavaliers lost first Love, then Kyrie Irving. The Bulls lost Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies lost Mike Conley for a game or two. The Rockets played without two starters. Wesley Matthews blew out his Achilles before the playoffs, and Portland teammate LaMarcus Aldridge played through a broken finger. Broken fingers don’t scare players. But foot injuries do. Achilles tendon injuries do. Chronic injuries like Love suffers do.”

From Forbes: “Now Ridenour has been a member of 9 teams (two stints in Milwaukee), with some tenures lasting only a couple hours. That’s nothing compared to the career of German soccer player Lutz Pfannenstiel. Lutz Pfannenstiel was a goalkeeper for 25 different clubs during his 21 year professional career, as highlighted in a piece by The Guardian. Pfannenstiel is famously the only player in history to play in all 6 FIFA confederations.”