Is Reggie Jackson Destined to Bolt Oklahoma City Thunder?

There was no extension deal at the 11th hour between the Oklahoma City Thunder and emerging guard Reggie Jackson. The 24-year-old will become a restricted free agent next summer, meaning OKC will have the opportunity to match any offer he receives from another club.

So if the organization is determined to keep Jackson in the fold, it can. And perhaps it will. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix tweeted that he was told the Thunder "can and will match offers":

But Jackson may have something to say about that. He may have already said enough.

"When I said 'command a team,' I didn't mean be a temporary starter or anything like that," the fourth-year veteran told reporters this week. "Just trying to play my role while I'm here."

Jackson's insinuation that he may not be "here" much longer has already stirred local media.

"Wow. We're starting to get the message," The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel wrote this week. "Jackson has lost much of his interest in being a Boomer. 'While I'm here' is code for 'out the door.'"

It's a fatalistic conclusion that actually picked up some momentum after Jackson's debut on Monday in a 116-85 pounding by the Brooklyn Nets. Despite tallying 23 points and five assists, he also committed seven turnovers and made just eight of his 20 field-goal attempts.

Worse yet, he apparently ruffled his cohort's feathers with his rogue scoring instincts.

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The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry wrote after the game that, "Teammates Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins grew visibly frustrated with the fourth-year point guard for not running the offense. On one possession, Ibaka grabbed a defensive rebound and looked off Jackson, who was right beside him, to pass ahead to Telfair."

Mayberry cited another example of discord and speculated about the, "frustration and perhaps even friction that was bubbling up on what was a bad night for everybody in Thunder blue." 

"It's simple. You just have to get off the basketball," head coach Scott Brooks told reporters after the contest. "You got four teammates out there. You just got to move the basketball. In order for other guys to participate, you've got to move the ball. And we didn't do that tonight, particularly Reggie didn't do that tonight."

Jackson responded with a career-high 14 assists against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. The Thunder still fell to 1-4 on the young and shorthanded season, but the Boston College product proved he could run the offense—something with which he'll be heavily tasked while superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook recover from injuries for approximately another month.

Even if Jackson doesn't view himself as a "temporary starter," he can't pass up this opportunity to establish himself a franchise player—or at least a borderline star.

He seems determined to ultimately play that role elsewhere. While the Thunder technically have the right to retain his services in 2015, you have to wonder how far general manager Sam Presti will push for a player who may want out.

After the deadline to agree on an extension passed on Oct. 31, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that, "Jackson is determined to pursue restricted free agency as a means to hunt a starting job in the NBA, league sources told Yahoo Sports."

Despite some indications that the franchise is determined to foil Jackson's escape, Wojnarowski added that, "...League executives believe Jackson holds a distinct advantage among his peers: The Thunder's investment into their star players may limit how far the franchise can go to match a rich offer sheet and make Jackson an ideal target to change teams."

Though the league's salary cap is likely to rise significantly, OKC will still have to consider its long-term financial flexibility. According to Spotrac, Kendrick Perkins' $9,154,342 will come off the books next summer, but the Thunder will still owe Durant, Westbrook and power forward Serge Ibaka over $50 million combined for the 2015-16 campaign.

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Then Durant becomes a free agent in 2016.

Put simply, Presti and Co. will have some bills to pay—especially if they look to add talent to the current core. Jackson may well emerge a willing and able third scoring option, but the organization could instead opt to pursue a slightly less ambitious complementary piece. Talented as Jackson may be, it's not entirely clear he's a perfect fit for this rotation.

The Thunder could use a defender on the wing to replace departed shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha. They could use an unselfish playmaker who keeps the ball moving and allows Westbrook to focus on scoring. And in a perfect world, this team would feature a capable sixth man who's actually satisfied with anchoring the second unit.

Jackson meets some of those needs to some degree, but he's by no means a panacea to all of OKC's problems.

He just happens to feel like one at a time when this club's two best scorers are sidelined.

The real test will be how Jackson responds when those scorers return, whether he accepts his more conventional role with the supporting cast. To this point, he's done what Brooks has asked of him.

Hints of disaffection began emerging after Oklahoma City lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, a series in which Jackson won the starting job at the 2 spot from an ineffective Sefolosha. Jackson told reporters (via Mayberry) he'd "like to be a starter" afterward, giving rise to a narrative that persisted throughout the offseason.

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He'd gotten his first taste of starting action during the regular season, when he opened 36 games at point guard in place of the injured Westbrook.

By summer, Jackson remained vocal about his wishes.

In September, he told Mayberry that coming off the bench wasn't part of his master plan.

"I don't think about ever coming off the bench for any team," he said. "If that's the role I'm put in, that's what I'm put in. But since the day I thought about playing in the NBA, I've always been a starter...I never envisioned coming off the bench."

"I want to be the best player I can be," he added. "I want to be the best player in the world. I don't think those guys are necessarily coming off the bench. So I've never thought about that or even had that idea in the back of my mind."

Not the ramblings of a man interested in winning any Sixth Man of the Year awards.

In a perfect world, that's exactly who he'd be for Oklahoma City. He might even be handsomely compensated for it.

But without consensus about Jackson's role, it's hard to see this relationship surviving. Presti may have the final say in 2015, but Jackson has to be a willing participant for this to work. Oklahoma City has a title-worthy chemistry to worry about, and there's no room in that equation for dissension in the ranks.

This marriage could work but only if the differences at hand aren't entirely irreconcilable.