OKC Thunder: How Vit Krejci’s contract impacts roster

The OKC Thunder creep toward the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. The Thunder will open up training camp at the end of September, so their roster is beginning to take shape.

In the offseason, teams are allowed to carry 20 players before trimming that number to 17 active members before the October 20th regular-season opener.

The Thunder traded for Vit Krejci during the 2020 NBA Draft when the Washington Wizards used the 37th selection on the Czech guard.

Oklahoma City clearly values Krejci, spending the past year rehabbing him in OKC after he suffered a torn ACL overseas. Earlier this offseason, the team bought out his overseas contract forcing the Thunder to ink him to an NBA deal per the CBA.

How Vit Krejci impacts the future of the OKC Thunder roster

Sam Presti dished out a four-year deal, with the first year being fully guaranteed to the 21-year-old. The second year of the deal only includes around 800-thousand dollars of guaranteed money, with the third and fourth seasons being team options.

Ultimately, this contract is a classic Presti prove it deal. Similar to the one he gave to 26-year-old post player Gabriel Deck. In the NBA, buying out 800-thousand dollars is like you or I spending five bucks on a Starbucks coffee. Would it be smarter to save money and drink coffee from home? Sure, but will it cause us to go bankrupt? Not at all.

Krejci will have the duration of the 2021-22 NBA season to prove he belongs in this league. He even has an edge on Deck, after being in the states for over a year, within the Thunder facility and seeing an upcoming season include 82-games, a full training camp, and actual in-season practices.

Deck was only afforded 10 NBA games before Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti had to decide to keep the Argentinian. Krejci will have every opportunity to force OKC’s hand.

Coming off an ACL injury, it is expected that while taking up a full-time NBA spot, Vit spends a ton of time across the street in the G-League for the OKC Blue.

Getting adjusted to a new league, a new playstyle, teammates, and gaining confidence back after a huge injury would be a lot to ask of the year guard.

I have already received comments, DMs, texts, mentions on Twitter, about the “guard problem” in Oklahoma City. Well, get used to it. This is exactly how Mark Daigneault and Presti are aiming to build the team for years to come.

There is no such thing as a true guard in this system, they are all just basketball players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 6’6 with a 6’11 wingspan, Josh Giddey is pushing 6’9, Lu Dort is 6’3, Tre Mann and Ty Jerome are 6’5, Theo Maledon is 6’4, and if you feel like counting Charlie Brown Jr at 6’6 you will see where this is going.

At 6’8, Krejci may be listed as a guard, but he will play everywhere on the floor much like the rest of this Thunder roster. Do not let the G in the position column for these players fool you. Oklahoma City does not have a guard problem, they have a talent problem. cycle through players no matter what letter is next to their name, until finding top-end talent is exactly what they should do.

Will the OKC Thunder keep Vit Krejci around long-term? Let’s just say I would not race out to the Thunder team shop and buy a Krejci jersey. With three first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, plus the normal offseason roster additions, the roster crunch will be tight and feature a ton of turnover come next July.