Pretty much. I do think there will be role players who stick (like I expect Hartenstein and Wallace to get extended this offseason), but for the most part there will be rotating pieces on the fringes of the roster. Like once Wallace’s contract kicks in, Caruso probably gets traded.

If guys fall out of the rotation, they’re traded to make space and replace them with rookie contracts. If you run out of roster space, kick the can down the road by trading for a future pick when you might have more space.

It feels that way because they have over $750 M tied up between the 3 of them for 5 years

Dort is important because of his relationship with SGA and how long he has been with the team(2019), but I’m not sure how much of a discount he is willing to take. Cason has been great since they drafted him, he deserves more mins seems like a core piece but again could be too expensive. JWill also seems like an important piece, he’s cheap and young they want to keep him around as long as possible. Ajay is the one they might have to let go when his contract up or he gets traded. iJoe probably stays bottom of the bench. Kenrich Williams could go or stay, but probably stays.

Yeah and plenty more draft picks to come. Consolidating isn’t easy.

I will be very surprised if the Thunder leave this draft with only one player, when 1) they know they’re going to have to shed multiple players from the roster for financial reasons, 2) the best way to dodge the second apron is with rookie contracts, and 3) this specific draft has abnormally strong value even past the lottery.

It will be crazy if somehow they turn him into a all defensive player

No we don’t. He’s an objectively good player that will benefit greatly from being in an established winning system.

Him and Westbrick would be the hardest nickname duo on the same team

If Chet wasn’t mentally owned by Wemby I think the Thunder win.

Wins on the margins are my favorite

Why not? Daigneault doesn’t even play him, he’s out of the rotation.

He’s probably not getting much over a minimum (if at all) anywhere. I think he stays on a minimum.

I’m sure he’ll be fine.

Seems fair, i just don’t agree on Topic and Sorber (i’ve seen that a lot), that’s not how Presti operate + they are on cheap contract so no reason to move them

Everything else make sense, Dort make the most sense to go because Cason does everything better than him.

Genuine question. Why would you trade two elite defenders for a injury prone Jimmy Butler who’s 36 at the near of his career + a pick? That’s just ridiculous.

Caruso is not on the table after the postseason he just had.

Daigneault’s philosophy has been to play everybody he wants to see play during the regular season. Even the two ways see some time. If the rookies can play, they’ll play.

Don’t forget Nikola Topic, who was an analytic darling.

This draft is a lot better than the next two drafts, though, per Givony and others. 

Team isn’t that deep. Two injuries derailed their whole playoffs.

Tomato Tomato imo. Roster crunch was forcing them to make a move either way, the cap pushed them this direction instead, but the Roster spaces started the need for a decision in the first place.

Caruso is going to be kept on a shelf until the playoffs. If Dort is out Wallace will start.

Caso.

Cason Wallace is that upgrade. Caso and Dort played almost identical minutes this season and Cason has better stats in every single thing.

Their 6 guys for 1-3 spots already set, no place for dort

Shai, cason, jdub then ajay, mccain, caruso

Naw, Hart is going to be back. I’ll be shocked if he’s in a different uniform next season. He proved way too important to their identity this season. The question is whether they pick up his team option or sign him to an extension.

They probably already have a deal in place with the way Presti operate.

yea he’s not gonna stay for the same money, not when there’s a drought of servicable centers in the league.

If TO gets declined, won’t cap space teams swoop in with something like 35m/yr

Lakers haven’t made a ton of great decisions post-championship - and no i’m not counting the Luka trade because that was more them benefitting from Nico’s stupidity than anything else. Beyond that, it’s a very late 1st rounder so it doesn’t have much value as is, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if whomever is selected with it doesn’t get a 2nd contract.

Would make for a fun news cycle

All depends on what they do with Dort/Hartenstein. Trading Wiggins is only 9 million off the books, not really helping much. 

Getting Hartenstein to resign at more years but less annual value would bring them closer to the 2nd apron line. They probably need to trade Dort to get under .. however I don’t know how much getting under is a real priority this season. The penalties come into play more so if you are in the apron multiple years

Except you’re asking them to trade for Giannis who earns $17m more than Chet next season. Chet is a top 15 player with a very rare and needed playstyle, he is worth significantly more than Giannis. Jdub is a much easier type of player to replace, but it’s not worth it long term and OKC are set up for 10+ years of success.

You saw it with Dame. Apart, (when injured,) they thrived in their respective styles. Together, they handicapped each other. What’s a tad bizarre is the Bucks are actually built quite properly around him role wise, but injuries/doc rivers/lack of just a tad more firepower killed them last year. It’s not “not working,” because of his playstyle. Him being injured has been a big reason it didn’t work last year. He just hasn’t been on the court.

He needs the ball in his hands to be the Giannis we all know. To take that away turns him into a player that doesn’t resemble Giannis, thus doesn’t really move the needle. Especially if a good chunk of depth was the cost to get him.

Basically, let’s say you took Jdub out, along with a few role players. While Giannis may be more talented, it’s entirely possible losing Jdub and said depth costs them more on the court, due to losing what makes OKC tick. It’s directly affecting how others around him have to play, accommodating for his playstyle.

Of course that’s true for any player, but when it centers around a ball dominant player without a jumper, it’s much more vital they get to play the style that works for them. By trading for him, it potentially impacts the very thing that makes OKC work. It’s a very real concern that him and another ball dominant player in SGA would not gel together.