Oklahoma City Thunder: Will the team rebuild or retain in 2019-20?

After taking the 2019 offseason to offload superstar talent in favor of draft picks and future assets, the Oklahoma City Thunder have to decide whether this season will be spent proving the team’s relevance in a new-look NBA, or embracing the rebuilding process

Missing the playoffs only once since the turn of the 2010s, the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten used to title contention being an annual opportunity. There can be endless headlines about how the Thunder have let three MVPs go, and failed to convert on numerous title chances, but that gets the team’s morale nowhere fast.

With Chris Paul’s salary being absorbed in return for picks and salary relief, and the accumulation of seven first-round picks in the Paul George trade, Oklahoma City has enough assets to make Danny Ainge jealous.

While the Thunder are certainly trending towards the revitalization of their franchise through the draft, they still have Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari, and Dennis Schroder on contract. They could certainly try to push their roster to make the playoffs, and with enough luck, it may not be completely beyond reality, but that would only serve to push back the rebuilding process further.

Thunder fans have hardly been given a lack of entertainment since the inauguration of their 2010s playoff appearances, paired with a 2012 NBA Finals visit, and an intense 2016 WCF against the Warriors. If anything is going to bring the Thunder back to their former glory, it will be a patient and thorough rebuild. That means the further movement of players that won’t be able to competently compete when the team returns to the playoffs, two to three years in the future.

The two glaring discrepancies for the Oklahoma City Thunder are Paul and Gallinari. Both players are beyond their prime and will be making a combined $61.1 million in the coming season. Where Paul’s contract locks him with OKC through to the 2022 season, Gallinari’s contract expires following this season, and GM Sam Presti will likely look to receive assets for Gallinari via trade in the case that the Italian forward leaves the team outright in free agency.

In the case of Chris Paul, while OKC is a familiar home to him, dating all the way back to Paul’s rookie season, the nine-time All-Star is beyond his days of absolute floor dominance, as injuries have plagued his last few seasons.

While still capable of putting up respectable numbers, and playing efficient basketball, Paul’s contract simply does not work in tandem with hopes of clearing cap space and building through the draft.

Of course, this is hardly a one-way sentiment, as Chris Paul’s Hall of Fame career has been filled with everything but the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and will likely look to pursue an NBA championship with a contender.

Nobody is doubting the ability of OKC’s veterans to perform on a nightly basis, but with the NBA’s distribution of talent re-balanced, franchises quickly have to decide whether they are a playoff lock or a lottery hopeful. Paul and Gallinari will inevitably leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in pursuit of NBA glory elsewhere, whether that be via trade, free agency, or buyout.

What matters is that OKC’s front office is managing it competently. As much as many OKC and Chris Paul fans would enjoy seeing the confusing Thunder roster make a playoff push, it is in the best interests of the team’s future to begin the rebuild.

The sheer number of draft picks that have the potential to become star players that OKC has accumulated should bring a smile to the face of any Thunder fan. The opportunity to part ways with a massive contract, and undergo a full rebuild do not often occur simultaneously, and OKC’s Sam Presti more than likely realizes that. The 2010s have been amazing for the Thunder, posting the 5th best record in that 10-year span, and provided management can make the correct moves, they will come across a similar sight in the coming years.

While OKC management works to determine how their franchise will develop over the next few years, fans and players are preparing for the beginning of the NBA regular season. The Oklahoma City Thunder along with CP3 and the Big Kiwi kick off their 2019-20 campaign with a game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.