Thunderous Intentions
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Who would the Thunder protect in an Expansion Draft?

By Austin Sternlicht

EDMOND, OK - MARCH 30: The Oklahoma City Thunder team poses for a team photo on March 30, 2017 at the Integris Health Thunder Development Center in Edmond, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
EDMOND, OK - MARCH 30: The Oklahoma City Thunder team poses for a team photo on March 30, 2017 at the Integris Health Thunder Development Center in Edmond, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Anybody can have Kyle Singler. Literally anyone.
Anybody can have Kyle Singler. Literally anyone. /

The unprotected

We can start out by crossing out some easy names of players they surely won’t be protecting. The list starts with Kyle Singler. He is on the books for the next two years at five million apiece. He’s been a total disaster since joining the Thunder as a part of the Enes Kanter trade back in 2014. His player efficiency ratings (PER) over the past two seasons have been 6.68 and 5.93, well below the average of 15. If by some miracle, Singler is selected by the expansion team, this helps the Thunder get off a terrible contract. Assuming Singler won’t be chosen, the list continues.

Two more players on the Thunder roster last year, Josh Huestis and Semaj Christon, should also be easy choices to leave unprotected. Since being taken in the first round of the 2014 draft, Huestis hasn’t gotten a chance to contribute. He played just 31 minutes last season, and this domestic draft-and-stash project is quickly becoming a disaster

Related Story: Is it finally time for Josh Huestis to shine?

Christon on the other hand, proved he is not an NBA caliber player. Of the 70 qualified point guards, Christon ranked dead last with a 5.72 PER last year. Again, nobody would take him, so the list goes on.

Veterans Nick Collison and Raymond Felton will most likely remain unprotected. Both are only on one year deals and are at the tail-end of their careers. Collison, a lifelong Thunder/Sonic player, announced this would be his final season. In today’s league, there are few players left like Collison that stay with one team for an entire career.

There would be much better big man options, so taking Collison would just be a jerk move. Felton is a bit more appealing, especially since the Thunder have lacked quality backup point guard play the past few years. Still, it remains unlikely a team would want Felton. Any new team is going to want to select players that can establish a future core. These two don’t fit the bill.

More from Thunderous Intentions

The final easy call to leave unprotected is the recently signed Dakari Johnson. The 2015 second round pick spent the last two years playing for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-Leauge. Johnson’s new contract is for two years and the league minimum. While Johnson is on a great deal and showed signs of promise in the G-League, the Thunder have more important players worth considering to protect.

An interesting debacle remains with 2017 1st round pick Terrance Ferguson. He still has yet to be cleared by FIBA, and remains unsigned. Assuming Ferguson signs at some point before the season, the Thunder will likely cut Christon, and re-sign him to a two-way contract. Ferguson will most likely be protected as well. His rookie scale deal makes him incredibly value and has a high ceiling as a 6’7 wing. But for this exercise, let’s say Ferguson remains unsigned.

Now just three players remain to consider protecting with two spots left. That is where it gets tricky for General Manager Sam Presti. These three all have value in one way or another. Here are the cases for and against protecting each one.

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