As teams complete their seasons, ESPN Insider's NBA team will take a look at the offseason picture and priorities for all 30 clubs. Below, Kevin Pelton offers a snapshot of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
2014-15 record: 45-37
Pythagorean record: 47-35
Offensive rating: 104.5 (11th)
Defensive rating: 103.1 (16th)
Draft picks
Own first-round pick (14th entering lottery)
Own second-round pick (47th or 48th, pending coin flip)
Projected cap space
Maximum: $0
Minimum: $0
Likely: $0
Who's returning
Basically everyone. Oklahoma City has a league-high 13 players under guaranteed contract for 2015-16. That group features plenty of talent, starting with the past two scoring champions in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, respectively. After spending the past two seasons demonstrating their ability to carry a team by themselves, Durant and Westbrook will hope to again be together on the court for a majority of games.
Besides better health, the Thunder can hope to improve via internal development. Not counting the departed Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City had three players younger than age 25 play at least 1,000 minutes this season: 21-year-old center Steven Adams and 23-year-old guards Andre Roberson and Dion Waiters.
Free agents
The Thunder gave up a first-round pick to get Enes Kanter at the trade deadline, a move that brought mixed results. Kanter averaged 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in Oklahoma City, shooting 56.6 percent from the field and developing instant pick-and-roll chemistry with Westbrook. However, Kanter's presence was a major factor in the Thunder's defensive downturn. Oklahoma City ranked 27th in the league in defensive rating after the deadline, per NBA.com/Stats, and allowed 7.1 more points per 100 possessions with Kanter on the court. Despite his defensive shortcomings, Kanter still is in line to get paid as a restricted free agent this summer at age 23.
Acquired as part of the same three-team deal as Kanter, Kyle Singler made more modest contributions, starting 18 games but averaging just 17.5 minutes per game with the Thunder. While Singler provided a 3-point threat, he made less than 30 percent of his 2-point attempts. With Oklahoma City's roster filling up -- in addition to a lottery pick, the Thunder are also expected to add 2014 first-round pick Josh Huestis after a year in the D-League -- Singler could be the odd man out.
Biggest need: A lucky charm
A strong case could be made that Oklahoma City had the least fortunate season in league history in 2014-15. Let's start with health. The Thunder lost 19.2 WARP to injuries, the second-highest total in the six years I've been tracking games lost leaguewide. Still, Oklahoma City tied for the NBA's 13th-best record, one that would have been good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Moreover, the Thunder won two fewer games than their point differential (12th-best in the NBA) would have suggested. As a result, they ended up missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker won by the New Orleans Pelicans because Anthony Davis made a 3-pointer at the buzzer of the teams' final meeting (in February).
Add in untimely playoff injuries to Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in the past two postseasons, and Oklahoma City's biggest offseason addition might be a four-leaf clover.
Biggest question: Who will lead the Thunder?
Note: This has been updated as of April 22, after the Thunder fired Brooks. For Kevin Pelton's reaction and possible successors, click here.
Ideal offseason
Durant returns healthy and better than ever, and takes turns with Westbrook carrying the offensive load. Kanter finds a market saturated with quality centers cool to his services, and decides to play for the qualifying offer and take his chances again in the summer of 2016. While walking the beach, Waiters has an epiphany and embraces a role as a 3-and-D specialist rather than looking for his own offense early in the shot clock. Roberson adds a 3-point shot and Adams takes a major step forward in his development, giving Brooks the luxury of having multiple good options at both center and shooting guard.