OKC Thunder: Hitting restricted free agency is offseason’s top priority

The OKC Thunder are winding down on their 2020-21 campaign, but the upcoming offseason will feel just as busy as their 72 game regular season.

Coming into the year, many were already under the impression that this team would look to contend for a top spot in the 2021 NBA Draft and, despite a bit of a “scare” earlier in the year when Oklahoma City found itself in and out of the play-in tournament picture (talk about champaign problems), now at 20-38, it appears their tank is back on track.

Already with a franchise building block in place in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it looks as though the majority of hard work for Sam Presti and co.’s rebuild is now finished, but there are still goals in which they should wish to accomplish.

Obviously, the bulk of attention has been zeroed in on the Thunder’s plans for the upcoming draft, but Bleacher Report is more under the impression that the top priority this offseason for the OKC Thunder should be focusing on the open market and, specifically, restricted free agents.

B/R believes the OKC Thunder should ‘get after it’ in restricted free agency

With a potential total of $55 million in cap space, writer Grant Hughes believes OKC could afford to shell out top money to this year’s restricted free agency class to either add on complementary players for SGA or, perhaps if they’re feeling devious, to force opposing teams to overspend:

"The real fun would come not just in potentially getting a restricted free agent like Lonzo Ball, John Collins or Lauri Markkanen, but also in putting opposing teams to tough matching decisions. The Thunder can really mess with the opposition if they want to, especially if they embrace being every agent’s leverage play.Expect to see reports that OKC has interest in every notable free agent that’s not nailed down. That’s how agents create the impression of a bidding war for their clients.Are the Atlanta Hawks really committed to Collins at a max pay rate? The Thunder can force them to prove it. It’s entirely possible OKC would want no part of Collins for such a hefty payday, but it can also toss more modest offer sheets for Ball or even someone from the lower-end group—Josh Hart, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker and the like—putting the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers’ financial resolve to the test."

For those of you who follow us at TI (we love you), you should already be aware that we love the idea of the OKC Thunder pursuing some of these aforementioned names, and named a few of them already as potential sidekicks to acquire and have run alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now, with the offseason right around the corner, be prepared to see a major uptick in posts from us discussing hypothetical moves we believe Oklahoma City should and should not make.