Five reasons the OKC Thunder should make the primary strategy of the next era to rebuild around international stars.
The OKC Thunder will enter their 13th season of existence this December and are at the beginning of their first true rebuild. Although the Thunder U years began the franchise there is a sound reason for Sam Presti to take a very different strategy this time around. Based on the recent draft it sure seems that this next iteration will take on an international focus.
Examining the success of the past dozen years might have several calling upon the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But, by the same token, there are multiple reasons to shift gears to try to improve upon the areas that didn’t work.
For some, there is the concern that international players perhaps aren’t as effective in the NBA but with the rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic that attitude could be changing. Is this trio an outlier? There is ample evidence they might not be especially if we pull from some of the most winning franchises in the history of the NBA. One team in particular in fact is considered the best franchise template to follow — more on that below.
5 keys for OKC Thunder to build around international talent
With that let’s dive into five reasons why the OKC Thunder should utilize the international strategy for the next era.
The trade demand of superstars:
Players can spout out how much they love playing in a specific market but the evidence of the past few free agency periods drives home how much players want to go to the big markets.
Case in point, Marc Gasol was going to get paid by the Raptors and posted how much he loves Toronto (the city, the team, the franchise, everything). And yet, despite knowing the Raptors will actively be pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo this coming summer, he elected to bail for just over $5 million for TWO seasons.
Meanwhile, the Raptors signed Chris Boucher and Aron Baynes for $13.5 and $14.3 million respectively. Undoubtedly Gasol would’ve fetched more. The kicker is Toronto is the third or fourth-largest market in the NBA behind only LA, New York, and about on par with Chicago.
And, the Thunder have already experienced this with former roster members. Kevin Durant did sign his rookie extension but when he became an unrestricted free agent he left for the warmer San Francisco area and then departed from the Bay for New York.
Paul George played along re-signing but this whole narrative about him committing with the knowledge if things didn’t work he could bail fell flat with many in Thunder Nation. It simply made no sense he would give up one year into his deal especially when he was nursing injuries and needed surgery. Let’s not forget it was George who Lillard scored the dagger, wave goodbye shot on, or the fact Playoff P never showed up.
Reading between the lines of what George said, it felt more like he wanted to get the maximum deal (money and term) which is what only the Thunder could offer. In hindsight, it feels very much like PG signed with the intention of leaving a year later knowing he’d be getting both the money and his preferred LA landing.