NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Now that free agency is here, let’s take a look at five offseason targets.
Imagine the year that the Oklahoma City Thunder have had. At this time in 2016, the Oklahoma City Thunder were just ousted from the Western Conference Finals after holding a 3-1 lead. They still had Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and were looking to return to that point. A few weeks later, Durant took his talents to the Bay Area and a new era in Oklahoma City began.
The Thunder re-shaped their franchise around Russell Westbrook and their two big men. Westbrook had one heck of season, averaging a triple-double and potentially winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. Yet, they got bounced in the first round by the Houston Rockets, winning only one game in the series.
It’s a bleak outlook for the Thunder, with the Warriors and Spurs dominating the Western Conference. Westbrook is under contract for another two years, but who can GM Sam Presti and Thunder put around him?
Let’s start by taking a look at the pieces that the Thunder currently have. Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter are the only parts worth keeping. All the other role players on the roster can be traded in order to create a better bench in Oklahoma City.
The major needs for the Thunder all revolve around Russell Westbrook. With such a ball-dominant point guard with a high usage rate, the most important things for him are shooters around him and a backup point guard that can spell him. Oklahoma City also needs to find a second consistent scoring option. Victor Oladipo hasn’t developed into that and Enes Kanter lacks the defensive presence to stay on the court for key minutes.
Oklahoma City was missing both of these key aspects in a major way during the 2016-17 season. There are some salary cap issues that could impede what the Thunder want to do. They are currently $12 million over the cap, but still under the luxury tax line. Ownership in Oklahoma City has been cheap before, but if they want to build a winner and appease Westbrook, it’s time they open their pockets. Let’s take a look at five players that Sam Presti should look to sign to improve his roster moving forward.
5. J.J. Redick, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
Let’s address the needs one by one. The first thing that the Thunder need around Russell Westbrook is an array of shooters. Think about what LeBron James has with him in Cleveland or what James Harden had this year in Houston. That’s what Presti needs to create around Westbrook in order for him to thrive.
As a team, the Thunder made only 8.4 3-pointers per game and shot at 32.7 percent. In the entire NBA, that ranks 26th and 30th, respectively. With the pacing and spacing of today’s NBA, it’s extremely important to have solid 3-point shooters. Look at the NBA Finals, it featured two of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league.
The Thunder didn’t have a single player in their rotation that shot at least 40 percent from long-range. That’s where J.J. Redick comes into the picture. Yes there are some concerns with Redick. He’s 32, coming off of a poor shooting year and doesn’t provide much on the defensive end of the floor.
But, but, but, here’s where it gets better. The former Clippers’ star shot 43 percent from 3-point range this past season and 48 percent two years ago — which was his career-best. Imagine if the Thunder were able to add this professional marksman. It would provide immediate improvement to their deep-ball shooting and give Russell Westbrook more room to operate.
This might be the last meaningful contract that Redick receives as a free agent, so the Thunder might have to dish out some cash, but it’ll be worth it when he’s burying 3-pointers off Westbrook assists.
It could also be redundant, with Westbrook and Oladipo locked into the two guard positions. But with small-ball in the NBA at full force, the Thunder may have to roll out three guards or bring Oladipo off the bench if they want to incorporate more shooting in their lineup.