OKC Thunder: Team has money for top-flight talents, but is not a priority

The OKC Thunder may find themselves with ample cap space this offseason, but that’s not to say they wish to utilize it on free agency.

Through 12 games played in 2020-21, the initially projected tankjob OKC Thunder find themselves boasting a .500 record of 6-6 and have constantly been finding themselves in and out of the top-8 playoff picture.

While there is still a ways to go before season’s end, if you ask fans of the organization, they hope this success continues throughout.

Ample success typically makes a franchise more appealing for players across the league looking for a new zip code and, impressively enough, Sam Presti and co. have managed to clear anywhere between $40 million and $55 million (based on projections) in cap space for the 2021 free agency/ offseason trade period.

However, according to Bleacher Report, utilizing this excess space will likely not be a top priority for the Thunder.

"The final number will be based on decisions for restricted free agents (Justin Jackson, Hamidou Diallo) and what happens with George Hill, who’s on the books for slightly over $10 million but guaranteed only $1.3 million.Whatever money the Thunder end up with will likely be enough. There are very few scenarios in which they’ll have less than max space, and they aren’t yet at a point of their rebuild where reeling in expensive names should take center stage."

Frankly, this should come as no shock to any fan of the OKC Thunder franchise.

With their lacking overall star power coupled with their already underwhelming track record from years past when trying to attain high-profile talents, the idea of pursuing top-billed players should obviously be pushed to the side.

That said, should they wish to go the trade route and cash in on some of their draft capital, there are a few players we at TI believe to be worthy of consideration.