Given how the Oklahoma City Thunder were positioned before NBA’s Free Agency Moratorium, the team’s current state is far from ideal. Although Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti won’t say the team has quite entered the rebuilding process yet, the Thunder are working toward the start of the franchise’s next chapter.
Considering what other teams have gone through in attempts to rebuild, the Thunder are actually in a good position to develop a roster that could for an extended period of time again, after a few drafts. Presti was able to get a slew of first-round picks and pick swaps for Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Jerami Grant, not to mention the Clippers included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the trade which sent George to Los Angeles.
Between the picks and their new point guard, as least on NBA executive from an opposing team thinks the Thunder are in a prime position to be a force again down the road, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.
It would be really nice to have that many picks, wouldn’t it? I mean you can do almost anything with that. And they might have their next franchise guy in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to build around. We made a call on him, because you call on everyone, and the Clippers told us no way. And this was early in free agency. So, obviously they were high on him. I think Oklahoma City will be ok. They’ll be bad for a year or two, but after that, they might be terrific again.
