Reggie Jackson: NBA owners don’t like ‘that we understand it’s a business’

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson wants to run his own team. He’s also like to play for a team that competes for a championship. He’d also like to be paid in terms commensurate with his worth on the NBA’s open free agent market.

He may have to betray one or even two of those sides this year or next in able to satisfy one end of his completely understandable wants.

Jackson shined earlier in 2014-15 when both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had to sit for the Thunder, but his contributions have tailed off somewhat since those two returned to full health – with the fitful Thunder trading frustrating losses with wins with or without the All-Stars running the show. A restricted free agent this summer, Jackson and the Thunder failed to come to terms on a contract extension last fall, allowing for the possibility that Jackson could eventually leave Oklahoma City in a number of ways.

He could be traded by the team, without his consent, to any other squad between now and next month’s trade deadline.

He could watch as a restricted offer sheet from another team is matched by the Thunder, against Jackson’s wishes, this summer.

He could play for just $3.2 million next season, possibly a quarter of what he could make as a free agent per year, and finally become an unrestricted free agent in 2016 – free to sign with whomever he chooses. In a lot of ways that must be frustrating to Jackson, this might be his best move in the long run. A long run that won’t bear fruit for another 17 and a half months.

Reggie is calling like it is, thankfully. In an interview with USA Today’s Sam Amick, he does say all the right (and sincere, we’re not doubting the guy) things about wanting to play for a ring, but he’s also correct in pointing out the double-standard that players have to work through when dealing with a team’s front office, and explaining personal business decisions to potentially angry fans:

“It’s funny. I don’t think the league likes to hear when players say that we understand it’s a business, but for (general managers) and owners they get to throw that card around. Like I said, I always understand that it’s a possibility, but I just enjoy playing the game.”

Jackson isn’t quite an All-Star in-waiting. He’s a fine player that will be coveted this offseason or possibly next, but this isn’t some misplaced franchise talent that needs desperately to get out of OKC. Jackson losing minutes to Russell Westbrook or even Dion Waiters (Andre Roberson, on the other hand, might be a different story) is not some basketball crime.

With Waiters around, and even without an obvious solution at reserve point guard (Ish Smith has his moments, but … come on), the incredibly cheap Oklahoma City ownership group might let Jackson walk for absolutely no compensation this summer should he sign a restricted offer with another team. Then again, they may also decide to keep Jackson just to appease Kevin Durant, who is going to be an unrestricted free agent those same 17 and a half months, currently staring down a three game deficit for the last playoff spot out West with half a season to play.

Then again, maybe Durant wouldn’t be so shook if Reggie leaves. True to his nature, in a talk with NBA.com’s David Aldridge, Durant credited Jackson’s professionalism without fawning:

I asked Durant if he felt any need to reach out to Jackson and keep his spirits up.

“We’re all professionals here, man,” Durant said. “We know the nature of this game. We’re not here to … this not day care. We’re not babying anybody here. We all know that Reggie’s such a good professional. He knows how to come to work every single day. He knows that him and Dion are going to have to play together. And Dion knows that. So we’re not spending any of our energy on that type of stuff.”

Well alright, then.

Kendrick Perkins, who has been considered a candidate for release via the amnesty provision for two and a half years now on top of trade rumors that have swirled around 2014-15, has reached out to Jackson. Via Aldridge’s report:

“Like I tell Reggie, shoot, my name’s been in a lot of trade rumors,” Perkins said. “My name’s been out there for getting amnesty. You’ve just got to know, I’m here in this situation, that’s where my heart is until something happens. You’ve just got to keep committed, keep professional, just know that the guys got your back.”

Jackson has to remain professional in the same way that the Thunder front office is attempting to act professional in the face of the team’s parsimonious and duplicitous owners. At times they’ll have to treat Jackson as an asset, and not a person, as they shop him and attempt to receive further assets or current players in the face of his restricted free agency.

As Jackson pointed out, though, there’s a double standard when players professionally treat teams as businesses – rather than a collection of people – when it comes time to make their own free agent choices. Hopefully media and especially fans will start to even the playing field a bit, in their eventual reactions.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops