The NBA offseason is almost upon us, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder have a handful of minor roster decisions to make.
The young Thunder are coming off an impressive campaign, where they went 40-42 in the regular season and fell a win short of making the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blossomed into one of the best players in the league as he earned All-NBA first-team honors for the first time in his career.
The Thunder have four free agents heading into the summer, per Spotrac, with the most notable one being Dario Saric. Overall, it’ll be another quiet summer in OKC as the Thunder look to improve their roster via the draft and internal development.
With that said though, let’s review the four Thunder free agents and predict whether or not they stay or go prior to the start of the 2023-24 regular season.
Dario Saric: Unrestricted
Dario Saric was a pleasant surprise for the Thunder during his two-month stay at OKC.
The Thunder acquired him in the Darius Bazley trade to make the finances of the deal work thanks to his $9.2 million salary. Unexpectedly, he became a quality rotation wing for OKC after his arrival.
In 20 games with the Thunder, Saric averaged 7.4 points on 51.5% shooting and 3.3 rebounds.
While he was a nice addition to the rotation, bringing back the 29-year-old could be an awkward fit. The Thunder will likely add several rookies to the team and roster spots are going to be a premium. One of the smoothest ways to create space is to simply let Saric walk.
Saric’s time with OKC was a positive and the veteran wing let it known he’d be open to returning to the Thunder, but he will likely have a market where playoff contenders will promise more consistent playing time on similar money.
Prediction: Goes
Lindy Waters III: Team option
After nearly two seasons, Lindy Waters III was finally converted from a two-way deal to a standard NBA deal in February. With the signing, the Thunder now own a $1.9 million team option for next season.
In his time with the Thunder, Waters III has shown he’s capable of being a legit outside option. He’s shot 36% from 3 on 4.7 attempts.
The option is cheap enough that I think it’s worth the gamble for OKC to give Waters III a shot to stay on the roster past training camp; if not, they can easily move on from him without much damage.
The Thunder have until June 29 to make a decision on Waters III’s option.
Prediction: Stays
Jared Butler: Two-way deal
Jared Butler was a late addition to the roster and appeared in only six games for the Thunder. He’ll likely stick around for summer league, but beyond that, I have doubts.
The NBA will add an additional two-way spot to rosters next season, which means teams will have a chance to have three two-way players. Butler could be an option for OKC, but there are likely younger and more enticing options available by the time the season rolls around.
Prediction: Goes
Olivier Sarr: Two-way deal
Everything written about Butler applies to Olivier Sarr, too. The seven-footer was a late addition to OKC’s roster and appeared in only nine games.
In his two seasons with the Thunder, Sarr hasn’t shown enough to warrant keeping him throughout the offseason. There will likely be better options for the three two-way spots. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Butler and Sarr with the G League’s OKC Blue next season.
Prediction: Goes
