For most NBA teams, the offseason has unofficially begun.
That has been the case for the Oklahoma City Thunder for roughly a month now. They were one win shy of making the playoffs.
With the offseason, there’s always a sense of fear among fans that their favorite team makes a mistake that’ll come back to bite it. Knowing this, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley decided to list the biggest offseason fear for all 30 NBA teams.
For the Thunder, Buckley lists getting impatient as their biggest fear, stating the youngest roster in the league shouldn’t focus on making win-now moves, choosing instead to let their young core continue to develop.
“With Chet Holmgren waiting in the wings (his would-be rookie season was wiped out by a foot injury) and another lottery pick landing soon, OKC could take another big step in 2023-24. Spending on a top-shelf free agent or packaging some picks and prospects to trade for an established star could help them climb the ladder quicker.
But what’s the rush? Patience has proved quite virtuous for the Sooner State so far, and the Thunder should continue following this draft-and-develop model. The free-agent market is light on difference-makers and has none that fit this franchise’s timeline. The trade pool appears similarly shallow with players either too old or not quite good enough for OKC to part with its top assets.”
This is probably the right mindset to have for the Thunder. Despite having $30 million available in cap space, their best move is to keep a low profile in the free agency and trade marketplaces. The only additions to the roster likely will come from the draft.
It seems this is the plan too. Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in his end-of-season presser that they’ll continue to be conservative in the offseason with outside additions.
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