Vit Krejci has knee procedure, what is his future in OKC?

The Oklahoma City Thunder held their annual exit interviews to end the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season. The OKC Thunder media were able to talk with almost every player on the roster, from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expressing how happy he is in OKC, to Lu Dort challenging for the playoffs, Josh Giddey revamping his shot, and Sam Presti giving an update on the timeline for this Thunder rebuild. Vit Krejci and Mike Muscala were not in Bricktown to take questions following the season.

We later found out Mike Muscala is back in Minnesota rehabbing his ankle injury that has lingered for two seasons now, including ending his age 30 season after just 43 games played. Vit Krejci was not in OKC for a different reason. The 21-year-old rookie was in L.A. undergoing a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee. The procedure, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache is not expected to keep him sidelined for long. The Oklahoma City Thunder expects Vit Krejci to return to full basketball activities prior to the start of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Will Vit Krejci’s knee procedure impact the Oklahoma City Thunder offseason as the team looks to create up to four roster spots this summer?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in line for a very interesting offseason, staying below the NBA salary cap until the NBA Draft, a loophole Sam Presti does not expect to use before they fall out of the top three salary cap teams once the calendar year turns. This of course is due to the max contract extension kicking in for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 30.5-million dollars, the team is also on the hook for 27.4-million dollars owed to Kemba Walker, another million in dead money to Kyle Singler, and Derrick Favors is set to pick up his 10-million dollar player option.

The Thunder will need to create up to four NBA roster spots as they have four selections within the top 34 of the 2022 NBA Draft, and it will lead to tough decisions for OKC General Manager Sam Presti.

Vit Krejci has dealt with knee injuries since before he was selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft and heading into what would be his first fully healthy offseason in the association he leads it off with a knee procedure. However, this does not seem major, rather like a knee clean-up.

At 21-years-old, Vit Krejci showed playmaking and shooting at 6’8 which makes him a very intriguing prospect for the OKC Thunder rebuild. Presti seems to believe he can be a diamond in the rough, and I do not think a minor procedure will weigh heavily into the conversation at the end of training camp when it is time to trim down the roster. That is of course, as long as Vit Krejci can continue to grow and develop this offseason injury-free.

With the NBA Summer League still, a mile away, it is technically possible he could be ready to play in the Utah or Vegas circuit which would go a long way in proving he belongs in the NBA.

I would be willing to bet a player that can shoot 43-percent from the corner three, hit 69-percent of his shots at the rim, and dish out nearly two assists per game can stick around in this league and Bricktown. As OKC head coach Mark Daigneault has pointed out before, it will come down to how much he grows on the defensive end.