NBA Free Agency Thread

The rumour mill coming into free agency this summer has been somewhat confusing. The Thunder have been linked with quite a few different players and it is difficult to determine where the Thunder’s interest lies. When free agency opens at 5:00 PM (CT) in little over half an hour, it will be very interesting to see what occurs.

So far, there has been a lot of chatter around Spencer Dinwiddie and Devonte Graham. I must say that I do not put much stock in these rumours, these are win-now moves when the Thunder are still looking to consolidate their young core.

The noise around DeAndre Jordan would make sense in a vacuum. Jordan is tremendously overpaid and the Nets need his salary off the books to reduce luxury tax payments while also creating financial flexibility. However, Brooklyn has nothing to deal in the way of draft picks or young players.

I like Nicolas Claxton but he is an important part of the Nets’ rotation and I cannot see Sean Marks tossing him into a salary dump as a sweetener. The likes of Luwawu-Cabarrot and Alize Johnson are not interesting enough to make a deal worthwhile.

Lauri Markkanen has been rumoured in recent weeks to have interest in the Thunder but I do not know how that deal will work. Markkanen is a restricted free agent and the Bulls hold the option to match any offer sheet proposed.

The only business that I would expect to see is a five year maximum contract extension for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai is the Thunder’s best player and the cornerstone of this team. Paying him $186m over five years makes perfect sense to me.

Free agency starts soon so sit back and enjoy what happens next.