Thunder sign Nick Collison to multi-year contract extension
Nick Collison is never, ever, ever going anywhere.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Tuesday that they have signed Collison to a multi-year contract extension, meaning the would-be unrestricted free agent will extend his 11-year stay with the (linear) organization.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it's believed to be a fully-guaranteed two-year extension paying him $7.5 million, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. That would represent a raise from Collison's $2.2-million salary this season, the final year of a front-loaded four-year, $11-million extension he signed in November of 2010 that also kicked an additional $6.5 million to his 2010-11 salary.
Even though extensions are capped at 107.5 percent of a player's previous salary, Collison's extension was structured such that he can earn nearly $5 million in 2015-16. Assuming the Thunder smooth the contract - there are cases to be made to front-loading it or back-loading it given their cap situations in 2015 and 2016 - his career earnings would be quite interesting:
| Season | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2004 | $1,578,240.00 |
| 2005 | $1,969,680.00 |
| 2006 | $1,815,000.00 |
| 2007 | $2,501,070.00 |
| 2008 | $5,750,000.00 |
| 2009 | $6,350,000.00 |
| 2010 | $6,250,000.00 |
| 2011 | $13,250,000.00 |
| 2012 | $3,272,997.00 |
| 2013 | $2,929,332.00 |
| 2014 | $2,585,668.00 |
| 2015 | $2,242,003.00 |
| 2016 (est) | $3,750,000.00 |
| 2017 (est) | $4,000,000.00 |
| TOTAL | $58,243,990.00 |
That's a nice payday for Collison, who, while valuable for many intangible reasons, may not have earned such an annual salary on the open market. And so the world is robbed of a Collison free agency special on PBS.
DECISION 11' has officially begun!!! 365 days until Nick Collison announces his free agent decision in a one hour special live on PBS!!!
— Nick Collison (@nickcollison4) July 9, 2010
General manager Sam Presti released the following statement on the Collison extension:
We are excited that Nick Collison will continue his tenure with the Thunder. Since our arrival in 2008, Nick has helped us establish the standards on and off the floor that we work by on a day-to-day basis. He has accepted various roles, demonstrated professionalism in all aspects of his craft, and shown a commitment to an organizational philosophy that is rare in sports today.
Presti speaking of Collison's contributions largely in non-basketball terms makes sense given his modest on-court production. The 34-year-old is averaging 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16 minutes and has averaged 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 791 career games. Prior to this season, the Thunder were almost always better with Collison on the floor than off of it, by a significant amount in some years, pointing to the value of his defense, screen-setting and other unmeasured on-court influences.
That's reversed course this season as Collison has declined some and the team's other frontcourt options, namely Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka, have played well. Though, Collison remains a useful veteran to have around, as Presti explains.
Congrats Mr. Thunder, such a honor to play alongside you @nickcollison4
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 3, 2015
There's also something to be said for keeping one of the faces of the franchise in-house, although doing so at a premium can certainly be questioned. Collison is about to pass Nate McMillan for third in games played with the organization if the team's Seattle SuperSonics days are included. Since the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, Collison ranks second in games, fourth in rebounds, fifth in minutes and sixth in points.