OKC Thunder Offseason: 5 Low-key trade targets to add depth
By Noah Schulte
The cash-strapped OKC Thunder need to find cheap ways to improve quickly. Here’s how they could do it:
Let’s be real here, the Thunder probably aren’t going to do much more in free agency. After all, they’re already footing the largest luxury tax bill in NBA history and there aren’t any players left on the market whom could significantly close the gap on the elite teams in the Western Conference. But given that the vast majority of their roster is returning next year, they’re going to need to find other ways to better the team, if they want to win big.
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It’s no secret that they’ve had one of the league’s most archaic offenses ever since their move to Oklahoma, relying on tough mid-range jumpers and the creativity of their stars almost exclusively for their offense in a league where 3-point shooting and ball movement are at a premium.’
And, that was arguably their downfall in the postseason the last two years. Because while that type of offense works in the regular season, it’s exponentially harder to create space one-on-one when defenses tighten up during the playoffs.
Defensively, they’re one of the tougher teams in the league and with their best defender, Andre Roberson, set to return following a season-ending injury last year, they should improve. Sure they need more depth behind their starting five, but they can find high-energy stopgap players in the G-League if need be and they were on pace for an all-time great defense before Roberson went down.
To that end, here are some players for whom they could trade, and would help improve the roster: