Reviewing OKC’s 2014 Offseason

By Caleb Franzen August 15, 2014

The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has been labeled over the years as a cheap team as they continue to refuse to exceed the cap and pay taxes on their players’ salaries. The James Harden trade didn’t quite help that reputation, and allowed critics to further brand OKC as a cheap franchise. They have never landed any marquee free-agents over the years, yet alone pursued them in the first place, as general manager Sam Presti and Co. have trusted their ability to build their team’s talent through the draft every June. After an early ending to their post-season run in a Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder knew they had some serious issues to address. Just to summarize, the Thunder had three expiring contracts going into the offseason — point guard Derek Fisher, defensive-specialist Thabo Sefolosha, and midseason pick-up Caron Butler — to go along with the 21st and 29th pick in the draft. It was well expected that Derek Fisher would leave OKC, as he quickly became connected to rumors of joining Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks, and they eventually hired him as their new head coach. In this article we will discuss and analyze the moves the Thunder attempted to and successfully completed during the 2014 NBA offseason thus far.

Draft:

As previously stated, Derek Fisher and the New York Knicks finalized a five-year, $25 million deal on June 10th just weeks before the draft, leaving a gaping whole in the Thunder’s roster especially with back-up/break-out point guard Reggie Jackson expressing his interest to become a starter in the near future. Many fans then believed that the Thunder would target a point guard and a shooter with their 21st and 29th picks, and names like Tyler Ennis, Shabazz Napier, Kyle Anderson, and Cleanthony Early quickly took their rounds through the rumor mill. With the last three names still on the board for the 21st pick, the Thunder drafted the power forward Michigan product Mitch McGary, known for his rebounding, handling, ability to run the floor, as well as his fantastic passing ability. At the time of the draft I was baffled at the fact that the Thunder passed on the opportunity to draft Napier, however after watching McGary play in the Orlando Summer League, his skills and upside reflect a promising future on the Thunder’s squad.

The 29th pick leaves me baffled to this day as the Thunder selected Josh Huestis, the defensive specialist coming out of his senior season at Stanford. The Thunder has always been a defense-first type of team and have ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency since the 2009–10 season. In that sense, Huestis is a decent pick, but by no means do his skills warrant a 29th overall pick. This became even more apparent when management decided to make Huestis the first ever domestic “draft and stash” player, as he and the Thunder agreed that Huestis would sign with their affiliate Development League (D-League) team the Tulsa 66ers. Clearly the Thunder view Huestis as a contributer a few years down the road, but with prospects like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rodney Hood, Kyle Anderson and Cleanthony Early still available, I’m not too sure the Thunder made the smartest pick.

Later in the draft the Thunder traded for Semaj Christon, a lengthy and athletic point guard, in exchange for cash from the Miami Heat. All in all, the draft was adequate for the Thunder as they did address a need for a backup big-man which became apparent during Serge Ibaka’s calf injury that kept him out of the WCF for the first two games. However, some of their moves left fans scratching their head in confusion. The Thunder had the opportunity to shop either one or both of their picks for a player already in the NBA. One of the best options for the Thunder would have been to trade for Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks. NYK President Phil Jackson had publicly stated that both J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were both available for trade discussions, and that he had intentions of acquiring some draft picks, as they had Knicks had none. The Thunder have been previously rumored to be interested in Shumpert for the last season or so, as he goes along with their trend to sign athletic, lengthy players who are defensive-minded. Shumpert would fit perfectly in the two slot alongside Russell Westbrook, Durant, and Ibaka thus allowing for depth at both guard positions. Overall, the Thunder didn’t really have the option to make any splashes from the draft, however it seems that they could have made more efficient moves.

Grade: C+/B-

Sebastian Telfair:

Now in need of a third string point guard due to the loss of Derek Fisher, the Thunder signed Sebastian Telfair to a non-guaranteed, veterans minimum deal. Drafted 13th in the 2004 draft, Telfair never quite lived up to his hype and was quickly labeled as a bust, eventually becoming a journeyman playing for seven teams in nine years. After being seen as having a failed NBA career, Telfair signed a contract to play for the Tianjin Rionggang for the 2013–14 season in which he averaged 26.06 PPG, 5.97 APG, 4.54 RPG to go along with 2.03 SPG. Keeping in mind that the competition in China is leagues below what Telfair will be returning to in the NBA, I don’t think the Thunder could have gotten a bigger bang for their buck as Telfair will be coming into this organization knowing that his role will be limited. Fans shouldn’t expect Telfair to make any big splashes during his time with the Thunder but can look forward to adding a savvy, high energy spark who can come off of the bench.

GRADE: B-

The Pau Gasol Situation:

One of the things the Thunder has always lacked has been offensive prowess down-low that will allow defenses to sag off of the three point line and open up more shots for the shooters on the team. Serge Ibaka does have his moments, however the Thunder typically use him as a pick and pop type of player for spot-up mid-range shots. Steven Adams was a fantastic pick-up from the 2013 Draft and I don’t think anyone had expected him to contribute as much, or as well, as he did during the season and especially the postseason. However, he is still raw and is often viewed as a liability due to his knack of picking up fouls quickly. Adams is a great prospect and will be a serious contributor in the years to come, especially if he has the right mentor. Meet Pau Gasol. Gasol has the perfect balance of interior finesse to go along with a promising mid-range game. Standing at seven-feet tall, Gasol has the ability to use his unique size and frame to push his way down low while also being able to stretch out the defense by drawing out interior defenders by stepping outside of the key. Not only will this allow cutters a cleaner line to the basket, but it will open up more offensive sets that can be utilized by head coach Scott Brooks. Gasol is an outstanding passer for a big-man and his knack to dish the rock to a teammate cutting to the basket is unparalleled. He also has a great ability to find a teammate out on the perimeter while he is folding defenses down onto himself as he pushes his way into the low post.

After watching the Thunder get out-coached and out-played by Gregg Popovich’s Spurs, basketball fans really began to notice the value of unselfish bigs who always look to make the smartest play on the floor. Yes I’m talking to you Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw, and Tiago Splitter. In my opinion, the only two other bigs in the league who can distribute the ball as well as the aforementioned Spurs are Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. I’ve always been a very firm believer that the Thunder don’t need a post-specialist (ie. a Karl Malone or Al Jefferson-esque type of player) because that just isn’t in the organization’s DNA. The Thunder have always been a fantastic pick-and-roll/pop whether it be the combo of Westbrook/Ibaka, Jackson/Ibaka, Lamb/Collison, or Westbrook/Durant, but adding Gasol would allow the Thunder another toy to play with, and a shiny one at that. But Thunder fans can only dream of what could’ve been, as Gasol reached an agreement to sign with the Chicago Bulls for $22 million over three years. Gasol had made it clear that he was willing to take a paycut to play for a championship contender, and it seemed that the three frontrunners for his talents were San Antonio, OKC, and Chicago. However, it seems that Chicago was able to offer the best of both worlds due to it’s ability to offer roughly $7 million a year — a price range that was a too much for both San Antonio and OKC. I guess in the end, Thunder fans can be grateful that the juggernaut Spurs didn’t land him either. The point however, is that OKC made an attempt at a marquee name, which is far out of character, and almost landed him. That demonstrates strong, and most importantly, smart flexibility by the management to attract savvy and talented NBA stars.

Grade: A for effort, N/A for results.

Anthony Morrow

One of the primary weaknesses the Thunder had during the 2013–14 campaign was their lack of spot-up shooters. When you have guys like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant on your team, you don’t really need more guys who can create their own shot. All you need are guys who can space the floor, stretch the defense, and knock down open shots when the ball gets in your hands. This is why the Thunder picked up Caron Butler after he was bought out by the Milwaukee Bucks. I think I just heard my phone ring. Caron was great during the regular season averaging 10.5 PPG while shooting 44.4% from deep and 40.9% from the field, however he dissappeared in the postseason and came up short when the Thunder needed him the most. After the Thunder failed to attract Pau Gasol, they quickly recovered by signing sharpshooter Anthony Morrow to a three year, $10 million deal. Morrow is one of the premier three-point shooters in the league as he shot a whopping 45.1% from deep. If you want to talk about spacing the floor, there aren’t too many better candidates in the league who can out-shoot Morrow, especially for a deal that will pay him slightly over $3 million/year. Considering that other specialty shooters in the league such as Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, Gordon Hayward and Avery Bradley all signed for $19mil/3 years, $9mil/2 years, $63mil/4 years, $32mil/4 years respectively. This trend shows that NBA teams are willing to overpay for good shooters. The Thunder are willing to stay in their lane, however, and acquire talent for a reasonable price resulting in a good pick-up. Scratch that — the Thunder quietly made one of the best dollar for dollar acquisitions of the summer. The Thunder continued to maintain a focus on acquiring a player with a strong and determined work-ethic, along with being athletic and lengthy (Morrow stands at 6'6.5 with a wingspan of 6'10.5) while also adding depth at the two-guard position as well as outstanding three point shooting.

Grade: A

Overall

This offseason OKC kept active, while also staying relatively quiet. Sam Presti will always continue to trust his ability to draft talent and rely on players already on the roster to continue to grow and develop as necessary. Keep in mind that the core of Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka are all twenty-five years of age or younger, and that the average age on the squad is 24.5 years old. The Thunder has a promising future, one in which they did not envision Thabo Sefolosha or Caron Butler being apart of, as they let both players walk to other teams for bigger contracts. Thabo’s defense will be missed, however his offensive game has slipped over the last few seasons and the Thunder need a more reliable wing. Expect Andre Roberson to jump into that starting SG position on opening night as the Thunder will always put a premium on defense. Butler’s three-point prowess will be missed, but the addition of Anthony Morrow will cushion the blow and then some. Butler’s three-point shooting jumped 19% from playing with the Milwaukee Bucks to finishing his season with the Thunder (36.1% to 44.1%). His percentage skyrocketted due to the amount of open looks he had because defensive attention will always be focused around Durant and Westbrook. A smart man would bet that Morrow will now be getting those looks and also see his three-point percentage increase.

As previously stated, OKC’s offseason relies heavily on internal development, so we won’t be able to judge that until the regular season has started, and we can see how players developed over the long summer and training camp. Nonetheless, Thunder fans can be excited about this upcoming season as the returning MVP, Kevin Durant, will look to build on his historic 2013–14 campaign while Russell Westbrook ended the post-season on an absolute tear. You better believe that other pointguards in the league have been having nightmares of him all summer. This is an emotional, passionate, young, and determined team. Actually, this is more than a team, and if you have any questions about how thick their blood runs, just watch Durant’s MVP acceptance speech. Watch out league.

Overall Grade: B+

All stats were taken from basketball-reference.com or espn.go.com and are accurate as of August 15, 2014