Dion Waiters became the latest to fall victim to off-season power maneuvering this week when the Oklahoma City Thunder rescinded a qualifying offer to the guard. As a result he is now an unrestricted free agent and likely feeling some kind of way about the decision.
According Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the move comes as the next step in a Thunder master plan is to bring Blake Griffin to the team to pair with Westbrook. If they can pull it off that is.
For Westbrook, the most likely scenario for a renegotiation would be to use the Thunder’s cap space to guarantee he will stay under contract with the Thunder through the 2017-18 season. This would give Oklahoma City the chance to recruit one of its top targets – 2017 free agent and Oklahoma native Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers – to partner with Westbrook, league sources said.
If the Thunder front office can pull this off this would be the latest in a summer of team shifting that’s been sending NBA fans crazy. Hopefully Clipper fans won’t burn Griffin’s jersey in front of Staples Center.