Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Laying out the Thunder’s 2018 offseason wishlist

By Ted Dower

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - SEPTEMBER 24: Carmelo Anthony of the Oklahoma City Thunder is greeted Sam Presti, General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he arrives at Will Rogers Airport on September 24, 2017 in Oklahoma City, 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)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - SEPTEMBER 24: Carmelo Anthony of the Oklahoma City Thunder is greeted Sam Presti, General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he arrives at Will Rogers Airport on September 24, 2017 in Oklahoma City, 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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With the playoff racing weighing heavily on Oklahoma City fan’s minds, lets take a brief reprieve to think about what the OKC Thunder may do this offseason.

The Thunder are back where they belong, playing strong basketball and sitting in the top half of the Western Conference with twelve games left in the regular season. It’s that time of year when we check the scores and standings every night. We know exactly which teams we’re hoping lose and exactly how many games ahead/behind the OKC Thunder are.

If you’re anything like me, you wake up in the middle of the night to a loud thud and realize you fell asleep watching the Miami and Portland game on your phone. Now it’s on the floor and four thoughts race through your/my mind:

  1. Did the baby wake up?
  2. Did my wife wake up?
  3. Is the screen broken?
  4. I’m going to need to drink coffee before bed to watch these west coast games.

Honestly, it’s exhausting. I need a break from the playoff race. For just a little while, I think we should look beyond the 2018 season. Don’t worry. By the time the game tips against the Clips Friday night we’ll be back at it. But for a little while, let’s give ourselves a brief reprieve.

The topic: Free Agency

My wife gets the credit for this. Why? Because she asked the question, “Ted, what happens if Paul George leaves this offseason?”

For most of this season I’ve snarkily replied things like, ”The chemistry between him and Russ is really budding”, “OKC fans have loved and embraced him from day one”, “He fits with what Russ does so well, why would he want to leave,” and “Sarah, do not utter those types of things in this house.”

But the reality is like the old adage, “if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” Thunder fans can say this with more conviction than most after Kevin Durant ruined July 4th for the state of Oklahoma in 2016.

So, let’s ask ourselves the most pressing question that can’t be answered: What happens this offseason if PG walks?

To be clear, the Thunder would prefer to simply retain PG. My hope is that in retrospect this article will seem like the whole, “The world is going to end in Y2K!” thing, but it’s also a helpful exercise for any OKC Thunder fan to cope with the possibility that we may need a high-level free agent to continue being a top team in the Western Conference.

Without further ado, let’s discuss the players the Thunder could target in no particular order.

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