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2022 Oklahoma City Thunder roster projection 1.0

ByRylan Stiles|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes part in warm up before playing the Toronto Raptors in their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on December 8, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes part in warm up before playing the Toronto Raptors in their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on December 8, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Ty Jerome #16 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half during a preseason game at Fiserv Forum on October 10, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Projecting the 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder roster 1.0 before Training camp gets underway

After laying out the entire roster, the candidates to get moved, and the tasks at hand, one thing becomes incredibly clear…no one should envy Sam Presti’s job right now. While none of the players on the chopping block are superstar caliber or anything close, there is a case to be made to keeping every single player that might be waived. You can play devil’s advocate and beat the drum for all six guys (really only four in strong consideration by my estimation). They provide value in some way and/or have a reason to believe in potential growth this season due to age, experience, resources, and environment in Bricktown.

So who gets waived? 

  1. Theo Maledon: He needs a fresh start. Sure, maybe Chip Engelland can help him thrive off-ball, but I think the best move for his career is to land in a spot that has more ball-handling minutes available to him. If you power-rank this roster on who you want to have the ball in their hands, Maledon quickly falls down that list despite that being his best skill. A fresh start could do everyone some good in the case of Maledon.
  2. Ty Jerome: The mythical sharpshooter has been given Opportunities, and it was hard to find minutes for him last year on a more wide-open roster. Now, that chance lands with someone else.
  3. I have gone back and forth on this last cut, debating between Derrick Favors and Vit Krejci. While I like Vit Krejci a lot, the money aspect is what tips the scales. If Krejci hits his ceiling in the NBA, what does that mean? A 10th or 11th man? Though, the Thunder are going to have to pay Favors 10.1-million dollars no matter if he plays a handful of games or not, so should money tip the scales in this case with no long-term money on the books for the Georgia Tech native and no chance to improve his stock before the trade deadline? Ultimately, would you rather bet on Krejci becoming the tenth man, or Favors helping the locker room manage a full 82-game season as a player that has experienced four organizations? It will be incredibly difficult for Mark Daigneault to find time for either player this season on the court.
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