While there are still nearly two months left of the regular season plus however long the NBA playoffs last, it’s never too early to speculate about free agency.
Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale is a subscriber of this belief. He recently broke down all 30 teams and paired them with one free agent each should go after this summer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are involved in a pair of these pairings — one for themselves and one that involves a current player on the roster who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Let’s take a look at what Favale had to say about who the Thunder should target and who an impending Thunder free agent should consider signing with.
Thunder: Grant Williams (Restricted)
Cap Space: $30-plus million
“The Oklahoma City Thunder will have 13 roster spots sewn up for next season if they guarantee the contracts of Isaiah Joe, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins. One of those will go to this year’s first-round pick. The other should go to someone who warrants dusting off the ol’ purse strings.
Enter Grant Williams.
P.J. Washington (restricted) is more than fine here. But he will probably cost a steeper premium, because of #countingstats. Oklahoma City is better off with Williams anyway. He is more plug-and-play at the offensive end, with a much stronger resume from downtown.
Over 45 percent of his field-goal attempts are coming as spot-up triples, which he’s swishing at a 39.9 percent clip. He has also offered glimpses into a shiftier floor game when given space and agency to operate, as well as some more complicated perimeter shot-making. He has hit 50 percent of his pull-up treys (20-of-40) and 40.9 percent of his step-back threes (9-of-22).
Plopping him into the frontcourt, alongside a healthy Chet Holmgren, is all too dreamy. They can both stretch defenses, toggle between big-man assignments and cover explosive ball-handlers working from the outside-in.
Williams is reportedly looking for $20 million per year in his next deal, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. That is money the Thunder shouldn’t be willing to spend on him. If that number drops by $3 million to $5 million and Boston is scared silly by the luxury-tax implications, Oklahoma City should be all over a 24-year-old who fits both their timeline and makeup.”
Warriors: Dario Saric (Unrestricted)
Cap Space: MLE
“Feel free to insist the Golden State Warriors prioritize the acquisition of a bigger wing. I won’t disagree with you. There just isn’t a realistic one in the mini-MLE price tier who’s both worth the whole kit and kaboodle and sure to crack the regular rotation.
Pivoting to Donte DiVincenzo (player option) is fair game. The Warriors’ non-Bird rights on his services mean next to nothing. They can offer him a max starting salary of $5.4 million without dipping into the mini MLE. Ergo, they’ll need the mini MLE to retain him — and even that might not be enough.
Acquiring Gary Payton II, core muscle injury and all, suggests Golden State is already bracing for DiVincenzo’s departure. And any move for a rotation-worthy wing is more likely coming via (blockbuster) trade.
That frees us up to go with Dario Šarić, who exists in the wonderfully gray area between “big man” and “not really a center.” The Warriors can deploy him as the small-ball 5, but he has the floor game and outside shot to work alongside Draymond Green (player option) or Kevon Looney.
Don’t let Šarić’s iffy start to the season fool you. His play picked up in the 20 or so games prior to the trade deadline, during which time he banged in over 40 percent of his triples and showcased some of his trademark blend of downhill force and finesse. This is a tantalizing theoretical marriage — provided the Warriors aren’t tasked with using their mini MLE to find Green’s replacement. And even then, Golden State might appreciate Saric’s tweener frontcourt status as an offensive approximation.”
