Russell Westbrook kept the Oklahoma City Thunder relevant from start to finish this season. However, while Westbrook’s MVP campaign kept fans interested there were few that actually thought Oklahoma City had a chance to contend for a title. Ultimately, the Thunder bowed out to the Houston Rockets in five games in the opening round. The swift exit opened the door for questions to be asked about what the next step is for this group. Will Westbrook’s triple-double crusade continue to be the focal point for this Oklahoma City team? Or will management take the necessary steps to transform this franchise in to a contending team once again? Here is a look at the Thunder’s offseason plan.
3 Things The Thunder Have To Work On
1. Sign Westbrook Long Term
The Thunder wasted little time handing Westbrook a new contract following Kevin Durant’s departure. Oklahoma City gave him a new deal worth $85.7 million, which bumped his salary up from $17.8 million to $26 million per season. The Thunder has Westbrook locked in for the 2017-18 season with a player option for the following year. If they don’t figure out how to get him some help, he might decide to play out his contract and go elsewhere (read: to a contender).
The Thunder will want to do their best to sign their superstar player to a maximum contract as soon as possible. Westbrook could be in line for a five-year, $219 million contract extension that kicks in at the start of the 2018-19 season. Management clearly has work to do and signing Westbrook long-term will remain the biggest priority until Oklahoma City locks him in with an extension.
2. Find A Capable No. 2
Finding a capable No. 2 star to play with Westbrook could help convince him to stay with the team over the long term. Westbrook has defended his teammates in Oklahoma City but the bottom line is the current group isn’t even close to contending for a championship. In order for that to happen, the Thunder need to set their sights on some stars in free agency.
Blake Griffin’s name has been tossed around as one potential target that could be a strong fit. Meanwhile, Paul Millsap and J.J. Redick are among the notable names that could be interested in joining Westbrook in Oklahoma City. Originally, the hope was that someone like Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis or a number of other young, talented players could step up. The Thunder have a number of decent guys like Oladipo and Steven Adams, but they need another All-Star to look like a legit contender.
Westbrook is clearly the man. He needs a much stronger supporting cast or he’ll simply be collecting triple-doubles without delivering the playoff success this franchise hungers for.
3. Add Quality Shooters
One major need for Oklahoma City will be the addition of sharpshooters that can surround Westbrook and make the offense that much more dangerous. The Thunder sorely lacked quality scorers and it really hurt their offensive potential. Westbrook ran the pick-and-roll 35.5-percent of the time during the regular season, scoring 0.89 points per possession. However, the lack of outside scorers forced Westbrook’s hand as he had to turn to big men Steven Adams and Enes Kanter inside rather than finding open shooters on the perimeter to knock down three’s. Oklahoma City desperately needs quality outside shooters in order to maximize their scoring potential. Redick and Kyle Korver are two obvious names that come to mind. The Thunder should make finding quality outside shooters a major priority this offseason.
Key Free Agents
Taj Gibson and Nick Collison’s pending free agency isn’t going to keep anybody in Oklahoma City up late at night. The Thunder have more urgent issues including signing Westbrook to an extension and finding quality shooters to surround him with. Oklahoma City will try to lock down Westbrook long term while concentrating their free agent efforts on bringing in quality complimentary pieces to surround him with. Westbrook is one of the top players in the NBA right now. Management must capitalize on his presence and surround him with the type of talent that can help transform the Thunder back in to championship contenders once again.
Bet on all of the big NBA games this week at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
