Breaking Down OKC's Free Agent Philosophy
The Oklahoma City Thunder are under no illusions.
Navigating NBA free agency for the smaller market franchises has been less than lucrative over the history of the league.
So even though they may fail to capture the imagination of the fanbase, the Thunder don’t put all of their eggs into the free agency basket.
In fact, outside of landing Paul George’s signature (only after having a year to court him, and then George turned around and asked for a trade a year later anyway), OKC’s free agent hauls have been pretty sad.
But Sam Presti and the organization don’t make excuses, they simply look for solutions.
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As a result, the Thunder often target veterans who can add experience to the locker room, or undervalued positions.
Historically, Presti has had great luck landing centers in free agency.
Dating all the way back to Nenad Krstic, Presti has brought in Nazr Mohammed, Nerlens Noel and Mike Muscala who have all played a key role either on the court or behind the scenes in shaping the young Thunder stars at the time.
Unfortunately, with the current state of the Oklahoma City roster, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to pull any impact veterans ahead of the 2021 season.
Back when the Thunder were competing to make it back to the NBA Finals, they had limited success in the buyout market attracting league vets trying to get on a winning roster.
Derek Fisher, Caron Butler and Markieff Morris have all routed their way through OKC, proving the Thunder can pull the occasional get in the buyout market if they show some life in the playoff race.
But until then, expect Presti to round out the roster with “glue guys” who can continue to mentor the next young crop of Thunder stars while perhaps showing they have enough left in the tank to get flipped to a contender at next year’s trade deadline.
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