3 Thunder players who definitely won't be back next year after playoff loss to Mavericks

The Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated in a nail-biter Saturday night, with P.J. Washington aptly delivering the final blow after a stellar individual series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did his best for OKC, dropping 36 points and eight assists, but the Dallas Mavericks' late-game heroics proved too substantial to overcome. Credit where credit is due — Luka Doncic (29-10-10) and Kyrie Irving (22-2-3) both delivered.

It's a major accomplishment for Dallas, but a mild disappointment for OKC. The Thunder were the No. 1 seed with the best record in a rough and tumble Western Conference. There was a real belief that SGA, operating at his current MVP-adjacent level, and Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault could lead OKC to the promised land ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, OKC's youth and the holes in its roster caught up at an inopportune moment. This was a great learning experience for the NBA's second-youngest team.

Now it's on Sam Presti and the Thunder front office to take an incomplete product and elevate it. Complete it. OKC has more than enough talent and versatility to contend for a title, but beefing up their rebounding numbers and adding more physicality around the basket are absolute necessities. OKC opted against a true blockbuster at the trade deadline to see what this roster was made of. Such a strategy is hard to defend under normal circumstances, but OKC is exceedingly young, with an exceedingly affordable core. There is time to upgrade the roster before the max contracts for J-Dub and Chet Holmgren come due. OKC is equipped with more than enough assets to make it happen.

Whether it's a trade or an unexpected free agent splash, OKC needs to operate aggressively this offseason. It's officially time to push all the chips in and gun for a championship. Presti will always keep one eye on the future — a necessity under the new collective bargaining agreement — but OKC can't cheap out or get complacent.

If OKC wants to add to its roster, substraction is inherently necessary. The Thunder will have to cut ties with a few players. Here is who won't be back for the 2024-25 campaign.

3. Mike Muscala has probably run his course in OKC

OKC signed Mike Muscala midseason following a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons. It was a celebrated reunion after Moose spent 3.5 years with the Thunder from 2019-23. At the time, it felt like a potentially consequential addition. He's the ideal OKC backup on paper — another floor-stretching center with the size to deter shots at the rim and competently rebound.

Unfortunately, Moose's prime days are firmly in the rearview mirror. He never really cracked the rotation, appearing in 16 regular season games and averaging 5.7 minutes for the Thunder. Jaylin Williams maintained backup center duties and OKC relied mostly on its young core. Any theoretical upgrades made around the trade deadline never really materialized.

He could, in theory, re-sign on a minimum deal, but OKC will probably put resources into upgrading the frontcourt this summer. There are options out there, whether it's another high-profile rim protector (Nic Claxton, Jarrett Allen) or a more versatile forward (Tobias Harris, Caleb Martin). Moose is expendable, and there's no reason for OKC to burn a roster spot on somebody without a path to meaningful minutes or developmental upside.

At 32 years old, it's probably a tad early for Muscala to consider retirement. That said, his opportunities around the league appear to be dwindling. He's not exactly in high demand, and his inability to crack the rotation in OKC probably forecasts what his role might look like with another contender.

2. Gordon Hayward was a bright idea, but it did not work out for Thunder

It's unfair to say OKC didn't make any effort to upgrade the roster at the trade deadline. There were obviously more consequential targets that Sam Presti whiffed on — Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, P.J. Washington — but Gordon Hayward was a great bet in theory. He addressed OKC's need for strength and dynamism on the wing, offering another shooter and complementary playmaking valve. He was the obvious candidate to finish games over Josh Giddey in the postseason.

OKC could not project how cooked Hayward was, unfortunately. In the wake of several lower-leg injuries, the 34-year-old Hayward has simply lost too much athleticism to function at his standard level. He's still a useful role player — Hayward shot 51.7 percent from deep across 26 regular season games with OKC — but he averaged 17.2 minutes despite earning the second-highest salary on the roster. Rather than acquiring the missing link, OKC netted a fringe rotation piece who couldn't stay on the floor late in games.

That happens. Sometimes a well calculated gamble bombs. OKC didn't give up too much for Hayward and absorbed his massive, expiring contract into free cap space. He won't burden their finances moving forward and it's not like OKC took a step back with the trade. They just didn't take a step forward, and it's hard to imagine Hayward earning another contract with OKC this offseason.

He could stick around on a veteran minimum. That's still good value, honestly. As OKC looks to take the next step, however, bringing back such a disappointing player probably isn't in the cards. The Thunder will look to upgrade that roster spot, and Hayward will search for a more stable role. It was a brief and unfulfilling marriage, even if the idea behind it was rock-solid. Such is life. It happens, you move on.

1. Josh Giddey has probably earned a ticket out the door in OKC

Josh Giddey is approaching the final year of his rookie contract, valued at $8.4 million. That is still great value relative to Giddey's production in the current marketplace. Still, it's time for Giddey to start negotiating his rookie extension and OKC shouldn't have too much interest in paying the Aussie combo guard real money.

There are teams around the NBA who can justify the buy-low investment in Giddey. A former No. 6 pick, Giddey appeared on the verge of stardom at the end of last season. He even had his moments in 2023-24, offering an undeniably appealing blend of 6-foot-8 size and passing chops. What killed Giddey this season was his inefficiency from long range (33.7). Defenses ignored him on the perimeter, packed the paint, and diverted attention to more impactful offensive players. That kneecapped Giddey's scoring and made it harder for him to facilitate.

OKC has a ton of versatility at every position, but there's still a noticeable lack of high-level decision-making in the backcourt. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams can both create from scratch and collapse a defense, but neither qualifies as a savant passer. Both are more oriented toward attacking the paint and generating points. Giddey is, still, OKC's best passer. It's just hard to keep him on the floor when he offers little else.

His defense is a problem, too. Giddey is an easy target out in space. Offenses seek him out on switches and pick apart an otherwise airtight OKC defense as a result. The Thunder could not keep Giddey on the floor late in games this postseason. The Mavs rendered him completely unplayable. He played 11 minutes in OKC's elimination game. That is not in line with what Giddey surely expects on his next contract.

Another team with robust shooting and the right rim-running big can probably get more mileage out of Giddey. Heck, he's 21 years old, so it's not like there isn't time to improve. For OKC, however, he's an obvious trade chip and the weakest link in a dominant starting five. Rather than extending him, expect the Thunder to consider trading Giddey to meaningfully upgrade the roster.