Thunder 'committed' to bringing Kanter back; Singler could also return

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't deal four players and a first-round pick for Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler just to make a late playoff push.

General manager Sam Presti confirmed Wednesday that the organization is hoping to retain both players this offseason, speaking decisively about Kanter's potential return and slightly less so about Singler's.

Both players were acquired along with Steve Novak and D.J. Augustin in a three-team trade at the deadline that saw the Thunder surrender Reggie Jackson, Grant Jerrett, Kendrick Perkins, the rights to Tibor Pleiss and a 2017 first-round pick.

The Thunder ultimately came up a game short of the playoffs, and while changes are expected this offseason - starting behind the bench - the team's best offensive center appears a safe bet to return. Here's Presti on Kanter and Singler:

Enes is someone we are committed to seeing in a Thunder uniform moving forward. With regards to Singler, finding a player in free agency that can shoot close to 40% from the three point line over the course of a season, embrace various roles, and stand as one of your more fundamental players at 6-9 is unlikely when over the cap and tax. Therefore, we are hopeful we will be able to keep working with him in the future.

While Kanter is a decent offensive player, the Utah Jazz took off after trading him, which was hardly a surprise, and the Thunder weren't any better with him on the floor after he was acquired. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent, numbers that spiked when he landed in Oklahoma City, but he's a below-average defender and is said to want a substantial raise in restricted free agency.

It may not make sense for the Thunder to go too high on a deal for Kanter considering they already have Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Novak, Nick Collison, Steven Adams and Mitch McGary under guaranteed contract in the frontcourt. Kanter is a nice complement with Ibaka but doesn't really fit alongside any of the others, and it's tough to see there being enough minutes to go around without a trade that sends out at least one of the team's other bigs.

The Thunder will have to tender Kanter a $7.5-million qualifying offer to maintain his rights in restricted free agency, and it's possible, although somewhat unlikely, that Kanter signs the one-year deal in order to become an unrestricted free agent when the salary cap balloons in 2016.

Singler, meanwhile, has a $2.7-million qualifying offer and seems a better roster fit, though he could be the victim of a roster crunch with 13 players already under contract for 2015-16. The Duke product averaged 3.7 points in 26 games after being acquired by the Thunder and owns a 37.8-percent career mark from long range.