NBA Rumors: Oklahoma City Thunder not trading Reggie Jackson

By Jack Maloney | Jun 5, 2014

May 27, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green (4) during the first quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

With Thabo Sefolosha not giving the Oklahoma City Thunder anything at all offensively against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, Scott Brooks switched things up and inserted Reggie Jackson into the starting lineup.

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The move energized the Thunder, giving them another ball handler besides Russell Westbrook and opened things up offensively as the Spurs couldn’t leave Jackson alone like they had been doing with Sefolosha. Jackson was very solid in the series, averaging just under 12 points a night, while shooting 48 percent from the field.

While Jackson had long been a very capable back up point guard, this performance showed the whole league just how talented he was. Unfortunately for the Thunder, it may have caused some problems down the line in terms of Jackson’s future with the team.

His contract runs out at the end of next season, and with his breakout performance against the Spurs, he’ll likely request a rather large contract and possibly an increased role. With extensions for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook also going to be necessary in the future, it will be interesting to see how the Thunder play their cards with Jackson.

One thing they won’t be doing, however, is trading the youngster out of Boston College. Speaking with reporters today, general manager Sam Presti said the Thunder aren’t even thinking about dealing Jackson.

Asked directly if they'd trade Jackson, Presti said "That’s not something that we’re considering."
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) June 5, 2014

The Thunder have plenty of big decisions coming up, and what to do about Reggie Jackson is just one of them. Seeing how they navigate the trick waters of free agency and contract extensions in the coming years will be very interesting.