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OKC Thunder viewed as ‘top landing spot’ for Lonzo Ball this offseason

By Mark Nilon

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 01: Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives with the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on March 01, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 01: Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives with the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on March 01, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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T-minus 13 games till the climax of the 2020-21 campaign for the OKC Thunder, and fans can’t wait to see what the team has in store for the upcoming offseason.

Already well documented, over the next six years Oklahoma City has a combined total of 34 draft picks currently at their disposal, 17 of which could fall in the first-round and three of said first-rounders could be coming in this upcoming draft.

On top of this, the organization finds itself in possession of the most spending power when it comes to free agency which, in turn, gives them the opportunity to go about the open market in any which way they so desire.

While we here at TI have a few ideas as to who Sam Presti and co. could shell out substantial money to this offseason, Bleacher Report writer, Grant Hughes, believes OKC could be in line to land one of the available premier young talents.

That player: Lonzo Ball.

B/R deems OKC Thunder as ‘top landing spot’ for Lonzo Ball this offseason

For those of you who are familiar with the site, you’re most likely already aware of the fact that we believe the fourth-year point guard could be a solid addition to this OKC Thunder roster moving forward and have discussed the team pursuing him on many separate occasions throughout this season alone.

Like us, B/R also is under the impression that a Lonzo Ball – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander backcourt tandem could be a real problem for opposing teams, as their games and age range seem to complement each other quite well:

"There, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the Williamson role of unchallenged alpha. The difference is that OKC is woefully short on secondary playmaking—especially if the limited but useful Lu Dort is a part of the future core. Ball is a gifted passer who is probably overqualified as a weak-side floor-reader. He’d cut defenses to shreds if they overloaded to slow SGA’s drives—which they would.The Thunder are contortionist-in-a-sauna flexible, loaded with talent-adding avenues beyond their league-high cap space. They have several traded-player exceptions and a monumental pile of incoming draft picks. That said, I’m already on record advocating for them to leverage their offseason power by hunting restricted free agents.Ball, who shouldn’t cost anything close to the max and fits right into Oklahoma City’s long-term rebuild, could find a great home with the Thunder."

With SGA already proving capable of excelling whilst running alongside a ball-dominant floor general and Lonzo Ball proving capable of thriving when serving as a secondary option within a team’s scheme, it appears as though the pairing could be great for the team as they head towards a new era of OKC Thunder basketball.

Next. “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently linked free-agent targets. dark

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