3 reasons why Alex Abrines will return to the Oklahoma City Thunder next season

After spending four years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Alex Abrines was released by the franchise last month. Abrines' release came after he had played just twice in a six-week period, and for much of the season, he had been listed as missing from games due to 'personal reasons'.

Neither Abrines or the Thunder have since revealed the exact reason behind his exit, although the Spaniard's departure was still a major surprise having already established himself as an important part of Billy Donovan's rotation plans.

Nevertheless, while Abrines will not feature again this season, it's not impossible that a return to OKC will not happen in the future. Here, we take a look at three reasons why Abrines could rejoin the team ahead of the 19/20 campaign:

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#3 Shooters are costly and hard to find

Abrines provided a regular threat from beyond the arc for OKC

While Abrines wasn't shooting the ball particularly well in the build-up to his release last month, the Spaniard has proven himself to be the Thunder's best catch-and-shoot player over the last three years. During the previous two seasons, he shot 38% from beyond the arc, and during last year's disappointing playoff defeat by the Utah Jazz, Abrines' accuracy shot up to an impressive 46%.

The 25-year-old's numbers dropped to a career-low 32% this season, however, when in- form, Abrines was far and away the Thunder's second best shooter from range after MVP candidate Paul George.

Evidently, the NBA is moving more towards the three-game than ever before, and long-range shooters are viewed as incredibly valuable assets. Due to this, the Thunder will find it hard to replace Abrines' range in the summer, and the most likely outcome is that the team will turn to the Spaniard once again.

#2 Lower contract

Abrines is believed to share a good relationship with Russell Westbrook

While it's debatable whether Abrines is worth the $5,455,236 the Thunder were paying him this season, there is no questioning that he would offer value on a lower salary. As previously discussed, Abrines offers a genuine threat from range and at 25, he's still got plenty of time to grow. It's easy to forget that before Abrines' personal issues began, the guard was enjoying the best season of his professional career to date.

Back in November, he scored 25 points and recorded five 3-pointers against the Charlotte Hornets. Later that month, he hit a career-high seven 3-pointers during their win over the Atlanta Hawks.

He is known to have a good relationship with key Thunder players such as star point-guard Russell Westbrook and starting center Steven Adams, so if he's willing to take a lower salary, a deal could potentially work out for all parties.

#1 He left the franchise on good terms

Abrines mutually agreed to exit the team last month

While we are used to seeing extremely messy breakups between NBA franchises and players, Alex Abrines left the Oklahoma City organisation on incredibly good terms. The decision for Abrines to leave his home of three years was described as 'mutual', and it is believed that the Thunder did not push the Spanish guard towards the door.

Instead, both Abrines and the OKC organisation agreed that his personal issues needed to be addressed, and Abrines even surrendered the remaining salary amount which was owed to him for the remainder of this campaign.

That decision by Abrines to give up his remaining salary for the year may seem trivial upon first glance, but will reportedly save the franchise millions in luxury tax and has undoubtedly earned the 25-year-old a huge amount of goodwill within the franchise. Ultimately, Abrines is still a young player with plenty to offer and given the positive manner of his departure, the door appears open for a summer return.