The Oklahom City Thunder are hearing positive injury news for a change on Monday, when point guard Reggie Jackson was reintegrated back in the starting lineup after being sidelined three games due to a sprained right ankle. His recovery is truly a welcome site for a Thunder team who are still without their two super stars in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant due to injury.
Unfortunately for the Thunder though, this might be the last season where they will see Jackson in their roster because apparently, he doesn't want to be in Oklahoma City anymore. He said so himself in pregame Saturday night. When asked if it was the chance he was waiting for to at least spend a month running the Thunder offense as the starting point guard in Westbrook's absence, Jackson sounded like a man who is just waiting for the season to end so he can go and entertain offers from other teams in free agency.
"When I said command a team, I didn't mean be a temporary starter or anything like that," Jackson said per NewsOK. "Just trying to play my role while I'm here."
In fact, Jackson is playing like he is so focused on putting up stats and auditioning for a team that on Monday night against Brooklyn, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins showed visible frustration with Jackson in his first game of the season. He looked like a guy who wanted to play in an All-Star Game and rather than an NBA Finals.
But Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reveals that the Thunder will do their best to retain Jackson when he becomes a free agent next summer. "Don't expect a James Harden situation to unfold. Thunder confident they can and will match offers next summer, I'm told," Mannix said via Bleacher report.
But Reggie Jackson wants a much bigger role - far bigger than merely being Westbrook's back up off the bench. He wants to become a team's starting point guard and that clearly wont happen because Westbrook is still by far the better player and talent between the two. He has a chance to shine though and lead a team's offense and that chance he will have once he becomes a free agent next summer.
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