Despite signing Felton, the Thunder could still avoid paying $300M in salary and tax getty images
The Thunder signing G Raymond Felton to a one-year, $2.93M deal pushed the current combined bill for the team's salary and projected luxury tax to $300M, and "no team in the history of the NBA has ever paid that much for a season's salaries and taxes," according to Jenni Carlson of the OKLAHOMAN. But the Thunder organization "isn't going to pay" $300M in salary and tax next season. Just because that is the "total bill now doesn't mean that's what the Thunder is going to have to pay at the end of the season." Teams "have until the trade deadline essentially to determine what their final bill will be -- and to reduce it if they so desire." Thunder Exec VP & GM Sam Presti "will cut down the bill," and he has "plenty of options at his disposal even now." But this is "still going to be an expensive team" with the likes of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Carlson: "So much for that the-Thunder-is-cheap narrative" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/5).
