5. The Thunder will make at least three separate trades
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently have a nice collection of talented veteran players on their roster heading into training camp.
Don’t expect it to stay that way.
With the team clearly positioning to tear down to the foundation and start a rebuild those veterans can be valuable trade chips.
Oklahoma City already has a massive collection of future draft picks, but with players like Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroder and Chris Paul available for trade, that hoard of picks may swell even larger.
Gallinari will most likely be the first big trade for the Thunder. The 31-year-old sharpshooter had the best season of his career last year in Los Angeles.
If he can stay healthy — something he has struggled to do throughout his career — his value on the court, paired with his expiring contract, will be incredibly sought after.
Schroder is also a prime trade candidate on the Thunder roster. While he had a great year coming off the bench for the Thunder last season, Schroder is a viable starting point guard. He was willing to play a bench role for a Thunder team that had two All-NBA players.
Will he be as eager to do the same for a team expected to finish in the bottom five of the Western Conference?
Chris Paul is the obvious trade chip for Sam Presti and the Thunder, but it remains to be seen if he is actually tradeable.
Sure, a handful of teams would be willing to take on Paul’s massive contract ($124 million in the final three years) along with a couple of Oklahoma City’s first-round picks, but the Thunder seem content to hold on to Paul throughout the season if he is a negative trade chip.
Besides those top three players a host of others could be on the trade block as well, including Nerlens Noel, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson.