Why the OKC Thunder need to stand pat at the trade deadline

The OKC Thunder can just wait for the buyout market

Not doing anything at the trade deadline does not mean this team should try to add talent. For a team like the Thunder, the buyout market makes so much more sense. It will give the Thunder a chance to add a veteran player for a minimum salary, without giving up anything in return. One big name that is a perfect fit who is being rumored in buyouts is Wes Matthews of the New York Knicks. Should he get bought out, he would be a perfect fit in OKC, so long as it doesn’t mean sacrificing Ferguson’s minutes.

There are always surprise buyout candidates every season as well as players who don’t really have a trade market. Last year, the Sixers bolstered their playoff run with two buyout players in Marco Belinelli and former Thunder legend Ersan Ilyasova.

If aging veterans like Matthews or J.R. Smith (?!?!) want a chance at competing for a title, OKC is one of the best bets on the map.