Presti shopping draft pick raise myriad of OKC Thunder roster and salary questions
Unfurling the salaries to see where opportunities exist:
Every team in the Association must have 14 players on their active roster. By those terms, the OKC Thunder currently have 11 players allocated (and this includes the trio of youngsters where Presti has flexibility). Those 11 players equate to $145,580,892.00.
Plus let’s not forget OKC are still committed to paying out Kyle Singler having stretched his salary through to the 2022-2023 season to the tune of $999,200.00 per year. And, what about the rookies Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey drafted last season or two-way contractees, Donte Grantham and Jawun Evans? What precisely are Sam Presti’s plans for these four youngsters?
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To put into perspective what the numbers mean the projected salary cap for the 2019-20 season is $109 million which means replicating this campaign’s starting five has already eaten up the Thunder cap. As for the luxury tax, it is assumed to be $132 million next season. Again, this means the 11 players OKC is committed to already put the Thunder over the luxury tax level. More concerning is the NBA punishes repeat offenders (or teams who consistently surpass the luxury tax level).