13 first rounds + 20 second rounds + 33 million space, it doesn't matter if you lose in the semifinals, the future is yours

There is no 24th in the rivers and lakes

2024-05-19 16:04Posted in Henan Sports Creators

With 13 first rounds + 20 second rounds + 33 million signing space, it doesn't matter if you lose in the semifinals, the future is yours!

After losing to the Mavericks, the Thunder's 2023-2024 season ushered in the official end, looking back on the past year, this season's regular season under the leadership of Alexander and other young people, the Thunder won the first place in the West again with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses after 9 years. In the first round against the Pelicans, the Thunder eliminated them in only four games to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, and this is the first time in 8 years that the team has come to this stage, and Wei Shao, George, and Anthony have failed to lead the team through the first round.

Although they lost to the Mavericks with a score of 2-4 in the end, the Thunder's performance in this series is still remarkable, with the team's big man Alexander averaging 32.2 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, shooting 50.7% from the field and 55% from three-point range. And Holmgren and Jalen Williams played the playoffs for the first time, and their individual performances were relatively outstanding, although there were still shortcomings, but they were still young after all. At present, the core players of the Thunder, in addition to Alexander and Dort, who are 25 years old, Jalen Williams is 23 years old, Holmgren is 22 years old, and Giddey is 22 years old, and they all have a lot of potential that has not yet been realized.

Therefore, although the Thunder will not be able to continue to compete in the playoffs this year, with their team, as long as no core players are injured, it is estimated that they will be able to play in the playoffs every year in the future. The most important thing is that the Thunder completely showed their strengths and weaknesses in the playoffs this time, and they proved that the Thunder's bad time is completely over and they are back in contention for the championship. The next task is left to the team management, and in the offseason, general manager Presti can make targeted reinforcements for the Thunder's current shortcomings, and he has too many chips in his hands to maneuver.

According to reports, the Thunder will receive 33 million salary space in the offseason, which means that they can chase an All-Star level player this summer, according to the playoffs, the Thunder's weakest weakness is their interior line, in addition to Holmgren, Jaelin Williams, who averages 4.4 points per game, has become the team's most important backup center. If there isn't a good No. 5 spot on the free market, the Thunder can also focus on finding a No. 4 spot, and their current roster is so small that sometimes Jalen Williams has to go inside.

It is worth mentioning that the Thunder veteran George is very likely to jump out of the contract, and if the Thunder can sign him back, it is not impossible, George can play without the ball on the offensive end, and he can play inside and outside on the defensive end. Or Siakam of the Pacers, who is also averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the playoffs this season, and he can also meet the size requirements of the Thunder. There is also the Knicks' OG Anunoby, who averaged 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and is also an offensive and defensive one.

As long as the Thunder have money in their hands, they are not afraid that they will not be able to spend it, even if they can't sign All-Star level players, they can also take these spaces apart and use them, and find more players who are more practical and have playoff experience. For example, Vallan of the Pelicans, Harten of the Knicks, Batum of the 76ers, etc., can be quoted according to the strength of different players, and with the space of the Thunder, if they really don't sign All-Stars, they can give these role players a slightly higher price than the market.

However, this is not the most lucrative chip in the hands of the Thunder, they are really the most valuable is the bunch of draft picks in their hands, the Thunder currently have a total of 13 first-rounders, including a No. 12 pick this year, and 20 second-round picks, these are the Thunder's most lucrative assets. Obviously, judging from the results played by the Thunder this year, they don't need to pick the core of the team anymore, on the one hand, because a player of Alexander's level is hard to find, and you can steal fun if you can have one, and on the other hand, the first round is not much of draft value for the current Thunder in addition to the trade value, because they can't continue to mess up.

Therefore, the Thunder can use salary space to improve the quality of role players first, and then use the first round to trade All-Star level players, as long as they give enough first-rounders, except for the few non-sales at the top of the league's food chain, no team should reject their offer. As long as the Thunder is sincere enough, they can even exchange Durant, even if the Suns say that they want to compete for the championship, but the Thunder will take out five first-rounders, and it is difficult for the Suns to disagree.

But if the Thunder take a gamble, they can not rush to seek a trade in the offseason, wait until a team with a supergiant collapses next season, and then make an offer. For example, the Bucks, who may rebuild in the future, have been first-round players in the past two seasons, and after trading to Lillard last year, the chemistry between him and Brother Alphabet is obviously far lower than expected, and with the continuous increase in contracts, the annual salary of these two people is higher and higher year by year, if they don't win the championship again, it is better to disband as soon as possible.

And although his current contract still has a long time before it expires, it can be seen from the fact that he chose to renew his contract early after the team traded for Lillard last year, his biggest pursuit is still a championship, so he is willing to stay here only if the Bucks really make up for it. Brother Alphabet's thoughts will definitely not change later, but considering that the salary space of the Bucks has been locked, Lillard will be 34 years old next season, and their championship window is continuing to close, and in previous interviews, Brother Alphabet has revealed more than once that he will not deliberately pursue "one person, one city", and winning will always be what he cares about the most.

If Brother Alphabet really appears in the trade market, the rest of the players of the Thunder except Alexandre can be sent away together, and then with the most first-round picks in the league, it will be difficult for other teams to compete with them. And the league is now not only the Bucks have a probability of regrouping in the future, but it is not impossible for teams such as the 76ers and the Lakers to reorganize.

But for now, these are just imaginations for the time being, after all, this still depends on the collapse of other teams to have a chance to get the league's top ten superstars, but the future is definitely very bright for the Thunder, and the probability of trading is also imperative, these draft picks can only be used as chips to maximize their value, otherwise even if they accumulate 100 first-rounders, they can only be put there, and with the Thunder's record in the next few years, their own first-round picks will not be too high.

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