OKC Thunder: Grading their signings in NBA free agency

OKC Thunder free agency signing No. 3: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

When Paul George surprised the OKC Thunder with his demand to be traded to the LA Clippers, Sam Presti changed the course of the franchise. He received a record number of picks, Danilo Gallinari, and the future of the team, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

He then locked it in over this offseason when Gilgeous-Alexander inked his rookie extension, binding himself to the franchise for another five seasons. With this one move, he has made the franchise much more appealing to free agents over the coming seasons.

When a team has a talented player at their core who has shown that he can lead a team, free agents be more likely to come. A franchise in turmoil, who has no plan or future will not be as appealing. This is even more so in Oklahoma City where free agents are hard to lure at the best of times.

On top of this, the Thunder have the ability to structure their next few drafts so that they can select the players who are going to best suit their needs. This is the best way for them to get talent into the franchise and hopefully keep them. They have enough draft picks to shape their future via draft or trade and having Gilgoeus-Alexander at the core will make the job easier.

Grade: A+