Berry Tramel: A falling cap helps Thunder

/> The Thunder would do everything in its power to keep Durant and Co., but the price might not be driven as high under the current economic conditions.

Locking up Durant and Green, with the ability to do the same with Westbrook a year later, fortifies the Thunder’s future.

No franchise can stand pat.

Eventually, all teams, good or bad, must add players via free agency. But adding role players is much less expensive than adding prime parts.

"We have needs and things we want to address,” general manager Sam Presti said earlier this summer. "We’re not going to address them in one draft or in one summer. We could try to do that, but if we did, we’d be sacrificing value.”

The NBA’s revenue outlook makes it appear easier for the Thunder to keep its core together.