Looking back at what the Oklahoma City Thunder did right and wrong during the 2018 NBA offseason, including the draft and free agency
The Oklahoma City Thunder went 48-34 and earned the 4th seed in the Western Conference playoffs this past season but, after losing in the first round to the Utah Jazz, entering the offseason the organization knew they needed to make some changes.
For starters, the Carmelo Anthony experiment was an utter disappointment as he failed to assimilate into the Thunder offense and was atrocious defensively. The Thunder had to find a way to rid themselves of his contract no matter what. What they found was a team willing to take on Carmelo’s deal in exchange for another disgruntled player.
The Atlanta Hawks made it no secret that they wanted to trade Dennis Schroder and that was where the deal began. The Hawks would acquire Carmelo Anthony, Justin Anderson from the 76ers, and a protected 2022 first-round pick from the Thunder.
Oklahoma City would receive Schroder and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from Philadelphia. Philadelphia would receive Hawks big man Mike Muscala in the trade.
The Thunder wouldn’t stop there, as they also signed Nerlens Noel (who might actually be the biggest steal of free agency overall) and drafted Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey. They also acquired Abdel Nader and Hamidou Diallo in separate trades.
As it stands now, the Oklahoma City Thunder should be looked at as a serious threat in the Western Conference as they improved their roster and will have a healthy Roberson to start the season.
Russell Westbrook and Paul George (who signed a long-term extension with the team to kick off free agency) appear to have a great relationship, which should result in the two being even better this season on the court together.
Look for the Oklahoma City Thunder to battle for the right to be the biggest threat in the Western Conference to the Golden State Warriors; perhaps addition by subtraction is just the change that this organization needed this summer.