Northwest, OKC Thunder NBA FA Primer: Masters of the West

OKC Thunder

Situation Entering Offseason:

For the third consecutive season, the OKC Thunder were bounced in the first round. The fact the club boasts two superstars and are paying luxury each season makes the losses less palatable.

Albeit, if I’ve said once I’ve said it a million times, luck is one of the most important factors for teams who win a championship. No team has ever lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy without citing luck as a factor.

Still, the what if’s for the OKC Thunder ring true, especially this season.

1. What if Paul George doesn’t get hurt?
2. What if Billy Donovan plays his youngsters more minutes so they gain confidence?
3. What if Russell Westbrook had one or two shooters he could rely on to sink those passes he routinely puts in their hands for wide open looks?

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  The other clear and obvious fact is Paul George didn’t surprise everyone on this date last season by re-signing without a guarantee the team would do what was necessary with the roster.

Some form of commitment or guarantees had to be made by the OKC Thunder brain trust for George to sign on the dotted line.  For as much as Westbrook was the main contributing factor for his return, it was clearly coupled with enough other guarantees that the Thunder would do what was necessary to allow the superstars the opportunity to succeed in the window of their primes.

Salary:

Cap Space: $ (49,403,444.00)
Floor Space: $ 50,468,211.00
Max Space: $ (38,236,194.00)
Projected Space: $ (49,773,077.00)

*as per Keith Smith of Real GM

Key free agents to re-sign:

Fans understand you can’t keep paying through the nose for first round exits year after year after year. At the same time, there’s no use having two max superstars in their prime if you’re not going to give them the talent to win the big prize.

Let’s just say it’s far more logical for Sam Presti to re-jigger the squad to surround his stars with players who can allow their true talents to shine as opposed to putting all the pressure on the two to carry the entire load.

After three straight first-round exits as a luxury team, that time has come. This equates to two absolutely essential changes being required. The first is the type of talent and the assets they have to partner with the OKC Thunder stars.

The second is the absolute need for a small market team to not constantly be in the top five of spending (unless it equates to championships). And that fact means the Thunder need to add cost-effective producers either via veteran minimum contracts or youngsters. In the latter situation that also means head coach Billy Donovan has to give those less seasoned players consistent minutes with an opportunity to fail and grow in the season.

2019 Roster Depth:

• Steven Adams
• Deonte Burton
• Hamidou Diallo
• Terrance Ferguson
• Paul George
• Jerami Grant
• Donte Grantham
• Abdel Nader
• Patrick Patterson (officially opted into his contract)
• André Roberson
• Dennis Schröder
• Russell Westbrook

Draft Picks:

•  Darius Bazley

2019 free agents

Nerlens Noel (Will opt out)
Raymond Felton
Deonte Burton (Restricted)
Markieff Morris

2020 free agents

Andre Roberson
Jerami Grant (Player)
Donte Grantham (Restricted)
Patrick Patterson