Thunder: Pass or Pursue on 5 potential offseason targets

Proposed Thunder target No. 2) Anfernee Simons

With all the rumors floating around that the Thunder are open to offloading former lottery-selected guard Josh Giddey this summer, there's an argument to be made that the front office might be in the market for adding more heads to replace him within the backcourt.

Here, Anfernee Simons is being tabbed as a possible option for OKC to consider, as he's someone who Almanza believes could help improve the club's tertiary scoring options.

"The Thunder’s playoff exit opened the eyes of many that they desperately needed another bucket-getter. If Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams struggle, the offense stagnates. Simons could help that.

The 24-year-old had a phenomenal season with the Trail Blazers as their top scorer. He averaged 22.6 points on 43% shooting, 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He shot 38.5% from 3 on 8.8 attempts. Simons could fill the void as OKC’s traditional sixth man who can come off the bench and cook opposing second units."

Clemente Almanza

Without question, the idea of adding Simons to this Thunder rotation, be it in a starting or reserve role, is one that should excite the franchise's faithful followers, as he's still just 24 years old and has posted tremendous averages of 20.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds on 38.8 percent shooting over the past three seasons.

Of course, these aforementioned takes on why he would be superb for Oklahoma City are the exact reasons why he's almost certainly out of the realm of possibility when it comes to being a realistic offseason target.

As of right now, there appears to be no real indication that the Portland Trail Blazers are even remotely interested in parting ways with their former first-round selection, but, even if they were, who's to say they'd be interested in shipping him to a direct division rival over, say, to an entirely different conference altogether.

Outside of this, Simons has two years, $53.5 million remaining on his $100 million deal and, based on his productivity, is slated to earn himself an even bigger deal on the free agency market come the summer of 2026, a time when not only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have to be paid, but, soon after, guys such as Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will be up for max extensions of their own.

At this point, the Thunder would be completely cash-strapped and, thus, would likely see the rising Simons bolt for a higher payday. Assuming his services would come at a cost of several first-round picks and a promising young player, such value being offloaded seems to be far too high for a mere two-year rental.

Verdict: Pass