The sense was that Jerami Grant would have some suitors on the open market.
The Thunder never had to let him get there.
Just after the 11 p.m. opening of the NBA's free-agent negotiation period on Saturday, Grant agreed to remain with the Thunder on a three-year contract ESPN reported was worth $27 million.
That's slightly more than a team under the luxury tax could have offered the 6-foot-8 forward via a mid-level exception, and the expectation was that Grant would have drawn considerable attention from teams with the full $8.6 million mid-level to offer.