Oklahoma City Thunder Offseason Outlook
The young and feisty Oklahoma City Thunder were ousted in the play-in tournament last season after a year in which many thought they overperformed based on the team’s expectations. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company took that season’s success and built upon it in a major way, earning the number one seed in the competitive Western Conference and pushed the Dallas Mavericks to Game 6 in their second round playoff series before falling short to Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. Looking forward, it is fair to say that no team in the NBA is better positioned for future success than OKC. All that remains is for general manager Sam Presti to remain savvy and make moves that push the team closer to their ultimate goal; taking home the team’s first championship.
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Money to Spend, But Is the Risk Worth the Reward?
The Thunder are close to the top of the league when it comes to cap space heading into free agency. The team has a projected $33 million to spend, but signing big free agents is uncharacteristic for a team that doesn’t often spend on players that aren’t their own. Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe, key contributors to this year’s team, earned less than $2 million when they signed their contracts. However, the team hasn’t been this close to championship contention in almost 10 years. Another factor worth considering when it comes to the Thunder’s spending potential is the fact that they have to, at some point, pay their young stars. Nobody associated with the Thunder thinks fondly of how they handled paying young up-and-coming players back in 2012, and many are concerned about the past re-living itself with this group of young players.
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Trades and Free Agents: Retooling the Roster
The Thunder were dominant for the most part this season, but once the playoffs began, the shortcomings of their roster became apparent. Jonas Valančiūnas and Daniel Gafford took over the offensive and defensive glass, taking advantage of the slim frames of Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams, the only centers that saw real minutes in the postseason. That and the apparent ineffectiveness of Josh Giddey saw the Thunder shorten their bench and get exposed by Dončić and Irving in the second round. Given that they have the money and draft capital to make almost any trade or signing, the Thunder have been attached to a long list of names this offseason. That list, of course, is headlined by shooters like Klay Thompson and Duncan Robinson as well as more traditional centers, like New York’s Isaiah Hartenstein.
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Draft Equity Galore: Too Much of a Good Thing?
In the trades that triggered the team into a rebuild in 2019 and beyond, the Thunder began accumulating future draft capital that is beginning to come to fruition now. The Oklahoma City Thunder own 14 first round picks from now until 2030, courtesy of teams all over the league, but primarily from the Los Angeles Clippers, who gave up a king’s ransom, including MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to secure the services of Paul George. The only problem with having so many picks? Head coach Mark Daignault doesn’t have the minutes(or the roster spots) for the Thunder to make all of those selections. Many expect the Thunder to consolidate some draft equity and combine it with Josh Giddey in a trade for another star to make a true title push in the Western Conference. Regardless of what the Thunder decide to do, they will have a say in the future of the top tier of the NBA for years to come.
