The NBA has entered the slowest part of its calendar in late July and August.
With the draft and summer league over and most of the big free agency moves already made, this dead period has given an opportune time to reflect back on the offseason as training camp gets closer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason was highlighted by the addition of Cason Wallace, who went No. 10 in the 2023 NBA draft. The Thunder also made several moves to absorb expensive/expiring veteran deals for the price of draft picks.
During this past weekend, I decided to conduct a Thunder fan survey that asked 21 questions related to several topics surrounding OKC. The survey garnered 1,583 responses — although it’s important to note that not every question was answered on each submission.
Let’s look at the results and see how Thunder fans feel about various talking points surrounding the franchise.
With the Thunder entering the season with playoff aspirations, expect the home crowds to get bigger. Local fans expect to attend at least a few games this season.
The overwhelming favorite is for the Thunder to win between 41-50 games. This would be an improvement from last season’s 40-42 record. If the Thunder is on the high end of that range, that should be enough to avoid the play-in tournament.
Most fans are pleased with OKC’s offseason. Nearly 94% of voters graded the offseason as an A or B.
This aligns with the win total expectations. Most fans expect the Thunder to either lose in the first round or second round — which sounds about right considering how young and inexperienced teams usually progress.
Thunder fans are happy with how the team is being handled, to say the least.
With three seasons under his belt, Mark Daigneault’s approval rating continues to rise. After signing a long-term extension, the decision-makers are on the same page with the fanbase about Daigneault.
The Thunder have used the offseason to continue to fortify their young core by adding Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson. OKC has also used its $32 million in cap space to essentially buy draft picks.
The Thunder traded up two spots to select Wallace. Considering OKC’s track history in the lottery, most fans either loved the selection or are willing to wait before judging it.
The Thunder have an odd rookie class as it involves three separate drafts. Chet Holmgren is the lopsided winner when it comes to which rookie will make an immediate impact — which is fair considering he’s the only one with a guaranteed starting spot.
Missing an entire season due to a foot injury hasn’t deterred Thunder fans from Holmgren. Nearly 81% believe he’ll either be an All-Star or All-NBA player when it’s all said and done.
Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed the best season of his career last year as he earned All-NBA honors and finished No. 5 in MVP voting. Most fans anticipate a similar/better season next year as he enters his age-25 year.
After finishing No. 2 in Rookie of the Year voting, nearly two-thirds of Thunder fans believe Jalen Williams will surpass Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng.
The Thunder are reaching a point where it’s almost time to ditch some of their young projects due to roster space. Over 41% believe the trio of Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will not be long-term fits for OKC.
Lu Dort is under contract for four more seasons, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be in OKC throughout the entire duration of the deal. With that said though, 55% of voters still believe he’ll be a long-term fit.
Two of the newest additions of the Thunder likely won’t be here for long, according to voters. OKC acquired TyTy Washington Jr. and Usmane Garuba from the Atlanta Hawks, but with roster spots at a premium, they’ll have to earn their stay.
The Thunder acquired the hefty salaries of Davis Bertans and Victor Oladipo in trades. Meanwhile, Jack White was added on a multi-year deal. Nearly half of fans believe Bertans is most likely to stay, as he is owed at least $5 million for the 2024-25 season.
A new arena will need to be built to keep the Thunder in OKC and voters were aware of that with this question.
OKC Mayor David Holt already said he believes a new arena can be built without raising taxes, but these results showed that local fans were willing to dish out extra cash to secure a new arena if needed.
The Thunder will have a disappointing season if ___
This write-in question received 1,311 responses. The most popular answer — by a wide margin — was to miss the playoffs.
The second-most popular choice was if the Thunder dealt with injuries — specifically to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
If the Thunder eventually make a splashy trade, who do you think it’ll be for?
This write-in question received 1,225 responses. As one can imagine, most answers differed as to the type of player the Thunder should acquire in the future if they decide to go that route.
The most popular player profile was an All-NBA wing/forward — so players like Pascal Siakam, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were popular choices.
As his situation in Philadelphia continues to grow unsteady, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was also a frequent name. There was also a healthy amount of answers from fans who don’t have anybody in mind and would rather see the young core grow.
