Sorry, The OKC Thunder Will Ruin Your NBA Offseason Expectations

Sorry, The OKC Thunder Will Ruin Your NBA Offseason Expectations

the OKC Thunder have always preached patience and GM Sam presty has always reiterated the value of not skipping steps throughout the duration of the Thunders rebuild which all began in the 2021 season a year wherein OKC finished with just 22 regular season wins but fast forward 3 years later the Thunder are a 57 win team who just grabbed a top seat in the Western Conference but more importantly OKC is entering this off season with 12 total players including their starting five under contract for next year there also the only playoff team with the lottery pick in this year’s draft and overall they own a total of 13 first round picks and 22 second round picks over the next seven years basically there are a lot of reasons for OKC to continue building their team with patience in mind but in hindsight a lot of people also felt like being patient has ultimately caused OKC to lose in the second round of this year’s playoffs as during the trade deadline instead of trading for Gordon Hayward the Thunder could have acquired a major piece it could have theoretically increased their playoff but as a thunder fan myself during the trade deadline I never really believed that the front office were just going to trade multiple draft picks and a couple young players for potentially a half Season Rental of Pascal SE yakum or one and a half seasons of Lori marinin without them first knowing how this young OKC team was going to respond to postseason pressure but if anything the lessons learned from this year’s playoffs against the Pelicans in the Mavs will be beneficial for OKC the front office now has some useful data in terms of what this team has and ultimately what they lack in their roster well sure the Thunder are a young team and a lot of their improvements will definitely come internally but with OKC also being one of only three playoff teams to enter the summer with above 30 million in cap space it would also be more than ideal for them to fill the gaps in their roster as quickly as possible but ultimately it seems like the challenge here for OKC is finding the middle ground between staying patient while also being aggressive in terms of roster building so in this video I’ll offer my own perspective on how the Thunder can potent Al accomplish that this 2024 off season so let’s get to [Music] it for a contending team that just earned the top seed in the Western Conference the OKC Thunder are definitely in a unique position in terms of their cap situation team Superstar Shay Giles Alexander is going to make close to 36 million next season alone but the thing is the rest of their roster are basically under cost control deals with five of their core rotation players in Chad hren Jay dub Josh giddy KAS Wallace and big man Jaylen Williams still in their rookie contracts with none of those guys earning more than 10 million next season add in the fact that OKC is also clearing Gordon hayward’s massive 31.5 million salary off their books this summer and it’s not surprising that the Thunder are entering the 2024 off season with a projected cap space of at least 35 million and for context only the Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz are actually projected to have more cap room to work with this off season and with all that cap space available the crazy thing is because Max extensions for either one of chat hren and Jaylen Williams won’t actually kick in until the 2026 to 2027 season even if OKC theoretically brings in a near max level player for at least the next 2 years they would still be able to avoid paying the luxury tax within that span of time however I think all that flexibility they have doesn’t guarantee that OKC would be star hunting this summer looking at it as a small maret team the Thunder don’t really have a track record of making huge spashes for stars in free agency in fact the five players currently on the roster who they signed as free agents Lou Dort Isaiah Joe Lindy Waters bismack bomo and Mike muscala each earned no more than $2 million during the first year of their free agent contracts on the other hand though the Thunder actually have a history of making high-profile Acquisitions via the trade market and given OKC’s current collection of draft assets and young tradable players building a massive trade package to acquire another Superstar Talent this off season shouldn’t be a problem if star Talent like mikale Bridges or even Lori marinin should be made available via trade this summer it’s clear that OKC should be able to outbid other teams to acquire either of the two the only question here I think is do the Thunder really need to go all in and trade a ton of assets for those kinds of players this early in their young roster life cycle well only Sam pry could answer that right now but then the fact that OKC exceeded expect ations last season and the fact that there’s still so much growth expected from their core players might also indicate that the Thunder might not even need to make a massive swing this off season it’s possible that making some minor role player additions could actually be enough to take them to the next level and when going after these potential additions one easily identifiable area that OKC could address is the team’s relative lack of size which somehow limited them in the playoffs particularly in the second round looking at it when 7 foot1 Chad homr was on on the floor OKC outscored Dallas by 21 points over their six game series however the Thunder just couldn’t stay afloat against the mevs big man when homr was on the bench backup center Jaylen Williams definitely provided a lot of value with his passing and floor spacing but his vertical immitations as an undersized 6’9 big man ultimately didn’t really help prevent the Mavs from getting extra possessions and easy buckets in the interior so it’s quite understandable why a lot of fans are calling for OKC to add another backup center and why a lot of media members have also heavily linked the Thunder to high-profile free agent Bigs like Nick Claxton and Isaiah hardenstein as well as potential 7ft trade Target Jared Allen well sure all of those three players would definitely add some size and physicality to OKC’s roster and theoretically OKC could actually fit either one of them in their payroll if they wanted to Jared Allen has 40 million left on his current contract but his deal actually expires in 2026 meaning he will be off the Thunders books just in time for Chad homr and jdub’s Max extensions to kick in same goes for Nick Claxton and Isaiah hardenstein both of them will likely command around 20 to 22 million annually in the free agent market and the Thunder will have the cap space to accommodate that kind of money provided they limit them to 2-year contracts but overall the problem is that not all three of them are ideal fits with OKC’s play style both Jared Allen and Nick Laxton have very little passing ball handling and perimeter shooting Acumen to be able to fit OKC’s 5at offensive system but if any I actually see Isaiah hardenstein to be at least a workable fit with the Thunder well sure he also not a clean fit with how OKC plays he also doesn’t shoot threes and he doesn’t have a jumper outside of 10 ft but for a big man hardenstein has Advanced playmaking Vision who makes great passing reads particularly out of short rolls he also has an Unstoppable floater from around 12T which could be a weapon for OKC against more traditional drop coverages hardenstein would still be coming off the bench in OKC but given those Baseline offensive skills that he has I could definitely see him playing the five W chat H home Grand playing at the fourth spot in some stretches but overall the appeal of signing hardenstein still definitely reles on what he brings on the other end of the floor particularly with his rebounding and interior defense this 2024 season hardenstein recorded the 10th highest defensive rebounding percentage among all 46 centers who played at least a thousand minutes and while he doesn’t block a ton of shots among all 131 players who defended at least a thousand shots in the restricted area hardenstein held opponents to the second lowest field goal percentage only behind Chad hongren so just imagine how hard it would be for opponents to score against OKC during those stretches with Chet and Harden Stein boat on the floor well for the record I don’t really think that spending at least 20 million a year for a backup center is an ideal thing to do but if the Thunder are potentially going to try acquiring a tough physical big man with playoff experience I think Isaiah hardenstein could at least be the most promising fit for the Thunder but also what if they don’t really need to go after a big man I think there’s also a possibility that OKC might instead be looking for their own version of Aaron Gordon or PJ Washington a big versatile forward who can shoot who can rebound who can attack the basket and who’s capable of Defending multiple positions basically a doit all type of forward who could be a more seamless fit with OKC’s already existing system and one player on that mold which I can see the Thunder realistically targeting is 6’8 veteran Tobias Harris he’s a versatile Wing who can play both forward positions who’s capable of creating his own shot on all three levels and who can also operate well off the catch as a career 37% three-point shooter Harris is also a capable secondary playmaker and has also got enough size and Mobility to switch among defensive assignments whether it be on the paint or the perimeter the thing is he fell short of expectations as Philadelphia’s third scoring option especially with him earning a huge 39 million this season and because of his value dropping I think OKC can realistically take a swing and sign him to a 2-year deal worth around 15 to 17 million annually and if Harris signs that deal with OKC he gets the chance to potentially fix his value around the NBA while also increasing his chances of winning a championship over the next two years all while playing without too much pressure because he’ll most likely be the fourth or even the fifth scoring option for OKC Harris would already be a solid offseason Edition but I think a more home run fit for the Thunder who they could acquire via trade would be 6’9 23-year-old combo forward Danny AIA this 202 Four Season with the Washington Wizards AIA shot 41% and catch and shoe threes while also ranking in the 83rd percenta League wide in terms of points produced out of spot-up possessions avdia is also a capable shot maker especially around the basket who shot 73% at The Rim this season add to that his capabilities as a secondary playmaker his ability to generate transition opportunities and his ability to be a lock down Defender while guarding positions one to four and AIA already projects to be a perfect plug-in play role player for the Thunder existing system but in addition AIA is also one of the best rebounding forwards in the NBA who had the 30 at best defensive rebounding percentage in the League this season so he should also be able to provide OKC with some much needed help off the glass and besides his on court fit AIA also makes a lot of sense for the Thunder financially he has four years remaining on his current deal but he actually has a cheap descending contract which will have him earning just 15 14 13 and 11 million over the next 4 years which means it wouldn’t hurt OKC to keep him Beyond 2026 even if they let his contract overlap with new max deals for Chad hrand and Jaylen Williams but to acquire AIA the Thunder would most likely have to offer the Wizards a trade package consisting of at least three first round picks which would most likely include the Thunder lottery pick in this year’s draft together with a couple young players that might actually be considered a huge price to pay even for a high level role player like AIA however given how he makes so much sense for the Thunder both financially and schematically I definitely see OKC considering making a move for him if ever he’s made available on the trade market crazy thing is with a 12th overall pick that they own in this year’s draft the Thunder can also realistically land some NBA ready big forward archetypes one player in that mold who I think would fit OKC and who could be available within their draft range is 6’9 Colorado forward Tristan D Silva a near 40% three-point shooter who also has solid interior scoring abilities and reliable connective passing chops who also rebounds well for his position though if the Thunder wants to swing for an even higher upside player they have the assets to trade up for someone like 6′ 10 Matas Bellis who I think would be a great two-way fit with OKC’s existing core especially in the long term but aside from looking for potential Acquisitions OKC also has decisions to make this offseason regarding some existing players on the roster two of OKC’s most important role players in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins would become free agents this summer if the Thunder don’t pick up their team options for next season or if they don’t get signed to new contracts and looking at it Joe’s team option is only worth 2.1 million and wigan’s team option is only worth 2 million so it would definitely be convenient for OKC to Simply pick up those options but obviously both Joe and Wiggins have already proven their value as playoff contributors and if the Thunder are planning to keep both of them longterm the most ideal thing to do is probably to negotiate with them and lock them up to new contracts this summer in order to avoid having to compete with other teams looking to sign both players in next year’s free agency and even in the scenario that both players end up not necessarily being part of the team’s long-term plans if the Thunder have them under contract for the next 3 years on cost controllable deals I think both players can still be easily movable and be included in the trade package if OKC wants to trade for another player or if they want to create even bigger cap space over the next two years another key Thunder player to watch this offseason is incoming fourthe guard Josh giddy while giddy won’t be a free agent until next year because he’s already eligible to sign a long-term extension this summer which extension would most likely overlap with Chad hren and Jay Dub’s Max contracts that would kick in two years from now and also because of his not so clean fit in the Thunder starting lineup a lot of media Outlets are already assuming that Josh giddy will be traded this off season well for sure if the Thunder identifies the right deal for the right player I wouldn’t be surprised if gidy gets included in the trade package and gets moved but even then we got to remember that for three straight years gidy has averaged at least at least 12 points six rebounds and 4 and a half assists which are real solid numbers for someone who started a total of 210 regular season games in three seasons so who knows how much he could still improve his fit in OKC in a couple more years the good news for the Thunder is that they don’t necessarily have to decide on giddy’s long-term fit with a team right now again OKC has a 2-year Financial window to spend money before this team gets really expensive so I think it’s possible that they still sign gidy to a cost controlled long-term extension this offseason they evaluate his fit with the team over the next couple years and worst comes to worst if they find it fitting to do so they can still trade giddy down the line before the roster eventually hits the luxury tax line well for sure at this point there are more questions than answers available to the thunder on how they can build their roster moving forward but the difficult part of rebuilding is already over and the Thunder are already back to being contenders and if Sam pry makes the Right Moves this off season we’ll definitely see OKC take that next step of becoming a championship caliber team sooner rather than later so thank you guys if you’ve actually made it this far into the video feel free to drop your thoughts in the comment section below and if you want to see an OKC Thunder Big Board video for the 2024 NBA draft please stay tuned to the channel again this is R balls and I’ll see you on the next one peace

#NBA #OklahomaCityThunder #NBAhighlights

The OKC Thunder have exceeded expectations around the NBA. Now, the Thunder are expected to make a lot of moves this offseason. Mavs vs. Celtics NBA finals is about to happen and although the Thunder have been eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, they still appear to have the brightest future in the league. Sam Presti admittedly made a mistake by trading for Gordon Hayward but the OKC Thunder already have an MVP runner-up in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who went head to head against Luka Doncic in the playoffs. They also have rising young talent Jalen Williams and rookie of the year runner-up Chet Holmgren who finished just behind Victor Wembanyama.

The big question for the Thunder lies in their next moves in the NBA offseason. OKC has been projected to land guys such as Lauri Markkanen and Isaiah Hartenstein as of late but Sam Presti and the Thunder front office are very unpredictable. A lot of fans think that Josh Giddey will be traded this offseason to acquire high-level talent for the Thunder. The NBA free agent market is also filled with guys like Klay Thompson, Paul George, Pascal Siakam, DeMar DeRozan and Nic Claxton. But will the Thunder land any of those players?

OKC still has the biggest draft haul in NBA history and they can also trade for players like Kevin Durant, Jarrett Allen, Devin Booker, and Lauri Markkanen. Ultimately, the OKC Thunder are a dynasty in the making but their championship window is open right now. With their big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgrem, together with key core players Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, the Thunder can top the West for a long time and compete against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets and Anthony Edwards and the TImberwolves.

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NBA news, Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics, OKC Thunder, NBA finals, NBA offseason 2024, Luka Doncic, 2024 NBA Draft, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, Who gets traded this offseason? Nba highlights today, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, OKC Thunder dynasty, Who will win the 2024 NBA championship

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All music are created by Riro Balls
Written by Riro Balls
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