When I first saw the headline, I thought it was a joke. Nick Collison re-signs with the Thunder. I thought it was a headline from 2010. But, apparently, the Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Nick Collison to a multi-year extension (reportedly 2-year, $8 million dollars). Collison’s current deal was set to expire after this season. The organization values the experience and the locker room presence that Collison brings to the team. In 41 games this season, Collison has averaged 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16 minutes per game.

The biggest question I keep getting from this signing is “Why?”. The answer to that is two-fold. First off, the organization is extremely high on what Collison brings to the table. He has been with the organization since it was located in the Pacific Northwest and still has enough game left to be useful on the court in spurts. Secondly, with the salary cap increasing, possibly by $10 million or more dollars in each of the next two seasons, Collison’s upcoming $4 million dollar salary will look very similar to the cap-friendly deal he currently has.