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[The Athletic] Josh Giddey’s eventual pay raise poses potential problems for GM Sam Presti. Going after big-ticket free agents would likely require a sign-and-trade or serious salary shedding next summer.

  • August 28, 2023


Source: https://theathletic.com/4775728/2023/08/28/nba-free-agency-2024-outlook/?source=user_shared_article

> The last offseason before Josh Giddey’s pay raise presents a different challenge for GM Sam Presti, but it is hard for the Thunder to clear significant cap space even if they waive Dāvis Bertāns between now and then as expected. Without offloading existing salaries, they project to be around the cap line depending on the final position of their three first-round picks.

> As such, there might be a window to use the non-taxpayer MLE and retain Aleksej Pokuševski if the two sides can agree to an extension now or new contract via restricted free agency, but going after big-ticket free agents would require a sign-and-trade or serious salary shedding next summer.

9 comments

  3. i mean, who didnt see this coming.
    If even half of the last couple years draft picks start actually getting good in the NBA itll be impossible to find the money just to keep them, let alone go after addition big ticket players.

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    its great to find a bunch of great rookies with great potential, but when they are reaching that potential you gotta pay them. Its extremely rare for a team to keep their drafts all together when they start actually panning out.
    Even harder to start paying the home grown draft picks that are getting good AND pick up some “big ticket” free agents along the way.

  4. What a useless article. Its like these “journalists” dont do any research before writing these things.

    Going after big free agents was never the plan.

  5. A hilarious non-issue that people keep trying to act like is an actual issue.

    If we’re going for a big ticket free agent, we’re losing at least one, probably two of our guys who could/will be worth big ticket contracts in the trade process for said big ticket free agent.

    Nobody’s kicking down the door as a free agent to come play in OKC. The only scenario where that even kind-of happens involves a big trade, which we have plenty to offer to shed/manipulate salary dollars around.

    The NBA is absolutely sick worrying about what we’re building here and they should be. This is the season we really announce ourselves and it’s gonna be so fuckin good.

  7. I think this thread will be a huge circle jerk about how free agents don’t come to OKC and not about how yes, Poku’s future is likely in limbo (for better or worse) and that Giddey’s up to the plate for an extension after this year.

  9. Here’s a crazy idea, OKC doesn’t go after a big free agent and we pay our young talented players instead

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