Victor Oladipo, Thunder agree on 4-year, $84 million contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t take long to affirm Victor Oladipo as a part of their future. The 24-year-old shooting guard has agreed to a four-year, $84 million contract extension, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania. The deal will extend through the 2020-21 season.

Oklahoma City acquired Oladipo from the Magic during the 2016 NBA Draft in exchange for longtime power forward Serge Ibaka. The Thunder also acquired veteran Ersan Ilyasova and No. 11 overall pick Domantas Sabonis in the deal.

It may seem quick to lock up someone who has only played for three games with the club, but the Thunder have coveted Oladipo for some time. Prior to the 2013 draft, the Thunder attempted to trade for the Magic’s No. 2 pick for the right to select Oladipo, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.

The hope is that Oladipo can stabilize a shooting guard spot that has been in flux since the Thunder traded James Harden in 2012. The Thunder have cycled through players like Thabo Sefolosha, Reggie Jackson, and Dion Waiters, but have failed to keep any of them beyond their rookie contracts. Oladipo represents a change in the organization’s philosophy.

Oladipo averaged 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 72 games for Orlando last year, but the organization elected to deal him to acquire the veteran Ibaka and pave the way for Evan Fournier to take the starting shooting guard spot. He struggled in the Thunder’s first regular-season game before scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively, against the Suns and Lakers.

The Thunder are also close to a four-year, $100 million extension with center Steven Adams, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. They hope that Oladipo and Adams can be the supporting pieces that Russell Westbrook needs to lead the team in a post-Kevin Durant world.