The Oklahoma City Thunder have done more of their homework for the 2024-25 season following the NBA draft and free agency. Some notable changes for OKC include the additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso.
In the draft, the Thunder added three players. Nikola Topic will redshirt next season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Dillon Jones is likely the only rookie who could contribute right away. Ajay Mitchell is penciled in as a two-way player buried in the depth chart.
Only one roster spot on the 15-player pool remains for the Thunder. They have roughly $8 million left in cap space. Here are five options on who could take that final roster spot in OKC:
This is the safest and most likely answer. The Thunder might need a two-way spot in case anybody breaks out in the summer league and preseason. A pair of rookies have already filled two of the three spots in Mitchell and Alex Ducas.
If the Thunder need another spot, the easiest move is to graduate Johnson into a standard deal. The 24-year-old spent his rookie season mostly with the G League’s OKC Blue. He averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds with the Thunder.
The Thunder lack a traditional backup point guard and Jones can fill that role. He had a career season with the Wizards last year. He can help be a playmaker for OKC and is a good enough shooter to be an off-ball threat.
The 24-year-old has experienced being on contenders with the Grizzlies. He averaged 12 points and 7.3 assists last season. He shot 41.4% from 3 on 3.9 attempts. He’s quality depth among the guards who’s a nice fail-safe if needed.
The one area the Thunder lacked with their offseason moves is a go-to bench scorer. Trent Jr. can fill that role. He’s been a respectable bucket-getter for the Raptors for the last four seasons. He’s also a lethal outside shooter.
Trent Jr. can be a scoring punch off the bench for the Thunder. He can benefit as a kick-out option for OKC’s 5-out offense. He averaged 13.7 points on 42.6% shooting, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 39.3% from 3 on 6.4 attempts.
Considering their interest in Klay Thompson, the Thunder recognize they likely need a high-volume outside shooter. They were one of the best 3-point shooting squads last season but didn’t have a high-volume outside scorer.
Beasley fixes that. He was a starter for the Bucks last season and was a catch-and-shoot option. He averaged 11.3 points on 44.3% shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He shot 41.3% from 3 on 6.9 attempts. He can be a microwave scorer off the bench for OKC.
Out of all the positions for the Thunder, the wings are their weakest spot. They will welcome any depth in the forward spots. That’s where Saric could help out. He was a positive contributor in his first stint in OKC. He could have a similar role next season.
The 30-year-old is a veteran for playoff squads for most of his career. He’s a nice third-string forward who can space the floor. He averaged eight points on 46.6% shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists with the Warriors last season. He shot 37.6% from 3 on 3.1 attempts.
