OKC Thunder: 3 players most likely to be off roster come season’s end
By Mark Nilon
The OKC Thunder are a team likely to be very active in roster shakeups this season, with the hope of more players going out than coming in.
While the OKC Thunder have proven to be a very competitive team to start the 2020-21 season, it mustn’t be forgotten that they are still in the midst of a rebuilding campaign with their eyes set on the future.
Because of this, one can expect that at some point this season Sam Presti and co. will look to offload some of their more valuable veteran assets to try and acquire future draft capital to add to their already illustrious collection.
Though the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Luguentz Dort are without a doubt locks to remain on the team for the foreseeable future, there are a few players on OKC that should be seen as prime trade bait at some point this season.
As for who, we here at Thunderous Intentions believe there are specific 3 players who most likely will be off the roster by season’s end:
OKC Thunder player No. 1) Trevor Ariza, SF
A veteran forward with a sound shooting stroke, defensive tenacity, and a championship to his name, at this stage in his career a player like Trevor Ariza is best served on the roster of a championship contender, not one that is embarking on a rebuild/ youth movement.
Though he has yet to report to the Thunder due to personal reasons, the 35-year-old is already a proven commodity in this league that teams should highly covet, as his expertise, skillset, and leadership have proven to be vital during the postseason throughout his career, even during the later stage.
Most recently, with the Portland Trailblazers, Ariza saw himself posting solid averages of 11 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.
A consistent 3-and-D guy is something that is invaluable for a contending team to have off the bench, and this is why we believe, at some point this season, the veteran will find himself elsewhere helping teams compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy rather than a high draft pick.