Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 buyout players to consider signing

The Oklahoma City Thunder have two open roster spots to fill. Which buyout candidates should they consider to help them down the stretch into the playoffs?

The 2019 NBA Trade Deadline was extremely entertaining. Several blockbuster trades were made, as well as many smaller trades. On February 1, 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded away Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who had no role on the team, and cash to the Chicago Bulls for a second-round pick. This seemed to be a trade that would prime the Thunder for a big move at the deadline, as it opened a second roster spot for Oklahoma City.

Rather than making a big trade to fill their two open roster spots, the Thunder decided not to make a trade at all. This was the second year in a row in which the Thunder opted not to make a trade at the deadline. This leaves the Thunder with two open roster spots and two glaring needs heading into the last part of the regular season. The Thunder need to bolster their three-point shooting as well as improve their bench depth with a bigger wing.

For the first few months of the season, the Thunder were in the bottom three of the league in three-point shooting, but as of late have gotten hot. This has resulted in the Thunder finding themselves in the top half of the league in three-point shooting percentage. Although this is great for them, they cannot rely on an elite shooting month to continue. One more shooter would really help the Thunder be a consistently good shooting team.

A bigger bench wing would really help Oklahoma City both offensively and defensively. Off their bench, they only have Abdel Nader. He’s a smaller wing who stands at 6’6″. On top of that the recent wiving of Alex Abrines creates an even bigger hole. A bigger wing who could play both small forward and power forward would give the Thunder more versatility when it comes to matching up with teams defensively, as well as give them more options on lineups to run offensively.

This season, the buyout market is primed to be the largest and most talented ever. There are already several players who have been bought out, and even more rumored or planned to be bought out. With the recent waiving of Alex Abrines, the Thunder have three open roster spots. Which players should the Thunder attempt to sign in order to finish the regular season strong and make a deep playoff run?