Thunder officials mean it when they say they want to keep Jeff Green as a part of this young team’s core going forward.
Rodney Stuckey is the starting point guard and at the heart of the future of the Detroit Pistons.
Right now, that’s not enough to get you an extension on your rookie contract. Last night reports surfaced that both of these men will be without extensions, meaning at the end of this season they become restricted free agents — they can test the open market but the Thunder (Green) and Pistons (Stuckey) can match any offer.
There are a few factors in play here, but primarily the economic times and the uncertainty over what the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will look like play key roles in the decisions.
Green sounded like there was no bitterness here when he spoke to the Oklahoman.
Stuckey’s situation is complicated by the ongoing sale of the Pistons to Mike Ilitch.
In recent years the top five or six guys in a draft class got their deal extended by teams. This season it is only two — Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah. The Hawks and Al Horford are still in talks and have until next Monday’s deadline to see if they can reach a deal.