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OKC Thunder: 3 must-watch storylines this coming season

By James Mueller

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 14: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 14, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 14: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 14, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

A full rebuild is underway in Oklahoma City. What does that mean for the OKC Thunder and what are things to look for during the 2020-21 season?

After taking the league by storm last season, turning a 0.2 percent chance to make the playoffs at the start of the 2019-20 season into the fifth seed in the West and taking the Houston Rockets all the way to the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs, the OKC Thunder will look completely different in the 2020-21 NBA season.

Rather than trying to run it back, general manager Sam Presti and the Thunder front office decided it was officially time to blow everything up and go into full rebuild mode in Oklahoma City. It all began when the Thunder and head coach Billy Donovan mutually agreed to part ways instead of extending Donovan’s contract, which expired at the end of the 2019-20 season.

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Then, Presti traded Chris Paul, who proved he is still an elite point guard at age 35 during his one year in OKC, to the Phoenix Suns for future draft picks and a few young players, including Kelly Oubre Jr., who Presti flipped to the Golden State Warriors for even more draft picks.

The OKC Thunder also traded Dennis Schröder, arguably the best sixth man in the NBA, to the Lakers for a 2020 draft pick and Danny Green, who Presti later sent to Philadelphia along with Terrance Ferguson in exchange for veteran Al Horford along with a few additional players and yet another future draft pick.

The last domino to fall was shipping veteran center Steven Adams, who had been in OKC since 2013, to New Orleans for more future picks and veteran point guard George Hill.

All these trades have given Presti a fully-loaded arsenal of future draft picks which should put the Thunder in a great position in a few years. But the cost of appearing to have one of the brightest futures of all NBA franchises is that the Thunder will certainly be among one of the NBA’s worst team’s this season and likely next season as well.

But that does not mean that the 2020-21 season is entirely lost for the Thunder. While OKC will not win many games, there are many things to look for including the development of some of the young players and flipping even more players for future assets. Here are three things to pay attention to this season in OKC.

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