3 Moves The OKC Thunder Need To Make This Offseason
The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this offseason in an intriguing position. This young and dynamic team surprised the league by securing the number one seed in their conference, surpassing all of the expectations labeled by the media. However, their postseason journey came to an abrupt halt as they were eliminated in six games by the eventual Western Conference Champions. The playoff series against the Mavericks magnified the team's glaring issues, which were exploited by the fabulous mind of Jason Kidd. This early exit sparked immediate discussions about the Thunder's direction and priorities in the upcoming offseason.
During those six games, several critical weaknesses were made apparent. Firstly, it became evident that Josh Giddey is not yet developed enough for playoff basketball. His inability to shoot the ball combined with his lack of athleticism lead to him being essentially unplayable and made it easy for defenses to game plan against him. This highlights the urgent need for a veteran guard who is reliable and can initiate the offense, especially since the Thunder offense was stagnant when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on the court. Additionally, the series underscored the Thunder's lack of size. Though it wasn’t as glaring of an issue in the postseason, it is undeniable that the Thunder need to look at upgrading the size of the frontcourt this offseason.
The Thunder are projected to have the fifth-most cap space in the league this summer (via Sports illustrated), so fortifying these problems shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Isaiah Hartenstein
As reported by Evan Sidery, Oklahoma City has posed as a legitimate threat to sign Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks this offseason. This addition would be a match made in heaven. Signing Hartenstein, a strong rebounding big with elite defensive instincts, would allow Chet Holmgren to move over to the power forward position. Just like that, their defense improves drastically with one single move. Not to mention the deadly pick-and-roll threat that Hartenstein and Gilgeous-Alexander could combine to create.
Hartenstein is a tough, gritty player who likes to get under the skin of opponents, which would make him a great anchor for the rest of the team. Hartenstein could come in and assert himself as a leader by example, encouraging the youth to do the same and building a firm culture for the future.
Tyus Jones
Moving on from Josh Giddey and sending him to a rebuilding team seems almost inevitable after his production meltdown in the postseason. The Thunder are missing a backup point guard who can orchestrate an offense, and acquiring a veteran to fill this void is a necessity. Tyus Jones enters the summer as an unrestricted free agent, and reports indicate that he and his agent will be commanding a hefty price from contending teams. With these two points in mind, a potential sign-and-trade could be in the works between the Wizards and the Thunder. Now that Washington is under new ownership, they might be interested in acquiring a young guard like Josh Giddey. Giddey fits the timeline that Washington is aiming for, and developing him could amount to something special. Meanwhile, Jones would add a much-needed veteran presence to this young OKC team. He is a highly dependable player, exemplified by having the league's best assist-to-turnover ratio.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Acquiring another defensive-minded, lanky wing never seems to hurt a team, right? It is unlikely that Dorian Finney-Smith will finish out his contract in Brooklyn, as he is a player with substantial value on a team with no real direction. Finney-Smith is one of the most versatile wings in the league, standing at 6’7” with almost a 7-foot wingspan. His ability to hit spot-up threes and his IQ to get open without the ball would make for a seamless fit in Oklahoma City.
Finney-Smith is 31 years old and has only one guaranteed year left under his current contract, with a player option after next season worth $15.3 million. With this in mind, and the potential uncertainty of when to invest in aging assets with this young core, it is understandable why OKC might hesitate to go in this direction. However, if the opportunity arises, acquiring a player of Finney-Smith's caliber could provide the defensive versatility and veteran experience needed to bolster their playoff aspirations.
