5 teams that got worse during 2020 NBA free agency

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

After Chris Paul helped guide them to a surprise playoff berth last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a stick of dynamite to their roster this offseason.

Out went Paul (traded to the Phoenix Suns), Dennis Schroder (traded to the Los Angeles Lakers), Steven Adams (traded to the New Orleans Pelicans) and Danilo Gallinari (signed with the Atlanta Hawks in free agency), all of whom were among the top five in minutes played for the Thunder last season. In came Al Horford, George Hill, Trevor Ariza, some depth pieces and a metric ton of future draft picks.

This sort of top-down demolition was inevitable after the Thunder traded both Russell Westbrook and Paul George last offseason. After this maelstrom of moves, the Thunder could have as many as 15 (!) first-round picks between over the next six years, along with the ability to swap an additional three first-rounders.

The draft is largely a crapshoot, and every team is bound to have its share of misses, but Thunder general manager Sam Presti has given himself far more margin for error by adding so many picks. With a budding star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already on the roster, the Thunder’s long-term future looks bright, even if their immediate outlook appears bleak.

The Thunder will likely be among the worst teams in the Western Conference this year, but that’s by design. They can now start from scratch and begin to tailor their roster around SGA moving forward, provided they see him as a franchise centerpiece.