On November 29, 2021, the Houston Astros play the Houston Astros at Toyota Center. The user acknowledges and agrees that they are consenting to the terms and conditions of the license agreement. The photo was taken by Carmen Mandato.
At the end of last season, Sam Presti stated that there would be competition on the roster.
There would be a roster crunch in training camp leading up to the 2022-23 season, but that was something Presti was excited about. The roster is loaded with talent that the front office likes.
Oklahoma City has 18 players on full-time NBA deals. The number needs to be reduced to 15 by the end of camp.
Cut players or make trades to clear up the roster will have to be done. The players won't make the cut.
Who is most likely to not be on the active roster next year?
Maledon was expected to do well last season. During his second NBA season, he appeared to be ready to take a leap. He didn't live up to expectations
He spent a bit of time in the G League and his role was almost cut in half. Maledon wasn't able to carve out a role on the team because they were filled with good guards.
The French guard was taken just outside of the first round in the draft. He has a lot of competition to contend with. Maledon might be expendable before the start of the season because Oklahoma City doesn't have a lot of guard minutes.
Maledon is a solid floor general but doesn't play flashy games. He has produced high assist or point totals but not consistently enough in some games.
It would make sense to move forward without him if the staff doesn't think he can break through and earn a spot in the rotation.
After two seasons in Oklahoma City, it's not clear where Maledon will be next season.
The most likely player to not make the roster next season is Krejci. Being a 6-footer with guard skills is hard to ignore.
The Czech prospect has gotten better as time has gone by. He was recovering from a serious knee injury when he was selected by the Oklahoma City. Last month in the NBA Summer League, he looked as athletic as we have seen at this level, showing off his bounce and quick feet.
Krejci shot over 30% from beyond the arc as a freshman and is very fluid on the offensive side of the ball. He doesn't turn the ball over at a high rate because he doesn't have it a lot. He had a limited role in his first NBA season.
He is the most unknown player on the list, so he may be the most interesting to keep an eye on.
Favors is 31 years old and is not one of the current players that could be traded. He is one of only two older players in the locker room.
Favors could be an impact player next season in a mentorship role as well as a frontcourt partner. The veteran big was efficient when he was on the court. He averaged a double-digit point and double-digit rebound rate per 36 minutes.
He was not a player many teams would be willing to give up an asset for. He is on a contract that could be useful for Oklahoma City.
Favors might be a key piece in a trade if the team wants to make a deal. Any team that wants to free up cap space for free agency next summer could take on his contract. Once Favors' deal is off the books at the end of the season, Oklahoma City could open things up.
Favors is an option to fill the final roster spot entering the 2022-23 season. If the team doesn't think Favors will be a contributor in the future, why not keep him?
In his three NBA seasons, the former first-round pick has had ups and downs. It's not clear if he's the shooter he projected to be entering the league.
He shot just 28.0% from deep in his NBA debut. In his second season, he knocked down 42.3% of his triples. His conversion rate on his 3-point attempts was just 29.0%.
Which sample should be taken seriously. It is difficult to pin down what level of shooter he is.
Outside of shooting, he can do other things. Over the course of his career, he has provided 2.4 assists per contest. As a combo guard, he has good size.
The Thunder would like to keep the happiness of franchise cornerstones like Shai Gilgeous- Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander should want the team to do whatever it takes to win in the long run.
Can he become a better shooter and defender? His future with the team is dependent on his ceiling.
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