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The Oklahoma City Thunder Quietly Signed Another Young Star On The Cheap This Weekend

08-20-2012 • http://www.businessinsider.com, Tony Manfred

It's a savvy move that has all sorts of consequences for OKC going forward, but we're left asking one question:

1. How do the Thunder keep signing these guys without the melodrama that goes hand-in-hand with pending free agency?

OKC signed Kevin Durant to a max extension with two years left on his rookie contract in 2010.

They did the same with Russell Westbrook in 2011.

And now, Ibaka.

Three years, three under-25 budding stars, three drama-less contract negotiations. How do they do it?

On paper, these are the exact types of players that would use free agency in absurd, Dwight Howard-esque fashion. They're young guys drafted into the smallest market in the NBA — who could move to a more glitzy city than OKC, and make more money in endorsements. Yet they're all staying with the Thunder without even flirting with free agency.