Zach Randolph is not the answer for the Thunder

Zach Randolph and the OKC Thunder have been linked in free agency; the name value is intriguing but the basketball-fit makes little sense.

I like Zach Randolph as a player. He can score on anybody in the post and outmuscle any big for a rebound even at the age of 35. Naturally you’d think the proposition of Zach Randolph coming to Oklahoma City would make me, a Thunder fan, happy.

You’d be wrong.

The Thunder already have a Zach Randolph. His name is Enes Kanter. Like Randolph, Kanter can score on anybody in the post and outmuscle any big for a rebound. Like Randolph, Kanter can’t defend any player on the perimeter or effectively stretch the floor.

That’s why the reported interest between the Thunder and Randolph confuses me so much.

Oklahoma City was the worst three-point shooting team in the league last year. The acquisition of Paul George helps, but they need more spacing to build an offense capable of keeping up with Golden State. Randolph’s not going to do that; he shot 22.3% on 1.3 attempts a game last season.

The other thing is, Sam Presti is actively asking teams about Kanter’s trade value. The front office understands they have to get rid of any players who can’t space the floor or change the game on the defensive end. It would make a little more sense if Randolph is brought in as a Kanter replacement, but even then he doesn’t fit with a team that wants to play fast and hound teams on the defensive end.

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Randolph may be a good player, but there are much better floor spacers who can defend better and rebound just as well. Former Thunder player Ersan Ilyasova comes to mind. Patrick Patterson is an interesting name.

But before they even think of addressing power forward, backup point guard has to be the priority. The Thunder have Doug McDermott, Jerami Grant and Josh Huestis to throw different looks at teams. Andre Roberson and Paul George could even get run at the 4 at some points. The fact is there’s options to play power forwards – there aren’t viable options with Victor Oladipo gone to run the second unit.

Either way, if Presti decides he absolutely needs a power forward, Zach Randolph is the exact opposite type of player he should be looking at.