3 Stars for Thunder to go after in free agency this summer

The Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to make their win-now move. That doesn't mean they cannot continue to be patient, letting this group develop and not pushing the chips in for a big swing. There is a risk in that approach, as great teams don't stay great forever, but it's defensible.

Yet the combination of the Thunder's strength as a team and that youth makes them a prime candidate to add another star right now. They will have significant cap space this summer and, if necessary, can clear even more. Making a big swing to add a star makes the most sense when it would make you a bona fide title favorite, and the Thunder are close enough to make that claim.

One way to make that swing is via trade, and earlier this week we looked at three superstars the Thunder could trade for this summer. Another way is to use that cap space to sign a star player in free agency. The free agent market this summer is not saturated with elite players, but there are some that make a lot of sense with the Thunder's roster and could be worth pursuing.

Freeing up that cap space isn't a given; they would need to move on from Gordon Hayward and potentially players on non-guaranteed contracts like Aaron Wiggins or Jaylin Williams. That's worth it for the right player, but it's important to take those steps only for the right player.

3 Stars the Thunder could sign this summer

Who could be available to the Thunder this summer? And which stars make sense with their roster and timeline?

Let's look at three stars the Thunder could sign this summer, starting with a Top-50 player who fits like a glove and ending with a Top-15 player who could return to Oklahoma for the last chapter of his prime.