Thunder: Pass or Pursue on 5 potential offseason targets

The OKC Thunder are in a prime position to make a serious jump from playoff contenders to legitimate title favorites with how they go about approaching the upcoming offseason.

Despite being crowned the youngest team in league history to clinch the top seed in a conference standings, following their second-round ouster from the 2024 postseason it's more than evident that the ball club still needs a bit more rotational tweaking to thrust themselves into the same category as the west's elites like the Denver Nuggets and the NBA Finals representative, Dallas Mavericks.

This summer, there are projected to be a number of quality players made available, and, recently, Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire went as far as to make a list of five individuals who are believed to be ideal targets worthy of OKC's attention.

Of course, though these players may have name recognition and intrigue attached to them, this is not to say that they should automatically be viewed as realistic options for Sam Presti and co. to covet.

With this in mind, today we take a look at each one of Almanza's proposed targets and discuss whether they're worth a pass or pursuit this summer.

Proposed Thunder target No. 1) Dorian Finney-Smith

First up on deck is Brooklyn Nets forward and steardy veteran, Dorian Finney-Smith.

A player who has made a career for himself as a highly physical and rather reliable 3-and-D rotational commodity, to Almanza, the 31-year-old is someone who could provide this Thunder team with vital lineup versatility with his skill-set and 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame and tack on ample playoff experience in the process.

"Finney-Smith is a prototypical wing that can do a little bit of everything. He can defend well, space the floor and is a decent rebounder for his size. The 31-year-old is also rich in postseason experience and has the track record of a playoff riser."

Clemente Almanza

This past season, Finney-Smith was a rumored target for the Thunder and went on to produce admirably, as he posted impressive per-game averages of 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting roughly 35 percent from beyond the arc.

Sadly, his efforts were somewhat wasted considering he was playing for the pedestrian Nets (32-50).

Though he may be under contract with the organization at a manageable average price range of $15.1 million per season over the next two years, considering the rough spot the Nets are in (have forfeited their first-round draft rights due to poor trade decisions over the last few seasons), Oklahoma City could consider floating one or two of their lower-end future firsts toward Brooklyn in an effort to acquire him and, in turn, bolster their frontcourt physicality and improve their overall floor spacing in the process.

Verdict: Pursue (at a reasonable cost)