How should the Thunder improve in the offseason? Are they rising or falling in the West with Russell Westbrook?
Our 5-on-5 crew debates and predicts OKC's next moves.
1. How does Russell Westbrook affect OKC's efforts to build a championship team?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Westbrook's talent is unquestioned; he's clearly an elite player who can elevate a mediocre team to being good enough. The issue is that his style of play and ball dominance might put a lower ceiling on how great his team can be.
For too many years, Scott Brooks was maligned for having an unsophisticated offense, and Kevin Durant was second-guessed for disappearing down the stretch. Maybe we can trace these issues to the struggles Westbrook has had to be anything other than the purest form of himself: impulsive and controlling.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: He's one of the top five players in the league, which makes him the cornerstone of a franchise and the kind of piece that can absolutely be the foundation of a champion.
I think it's dangerous to look at this season and think that's the way it's going to be forever. This was an outlier season for Westbrook in a lot of ways. He's an intelligent player, and he knows this style won't work at a championship level. The team will adapt, and he'll adapt.
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: This was the Season of Russ. Next year, it has to be the Season of OKC. Everything this season seemed to be all about making Russ look great, even if it came at the expense of the overall team. They have to find a second star who's fine to share the stage with the most ball-dominant player in the NBA.
Once the triple-double halo wears off, hovering around .500 will get old quickly.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: He's an important part of the puzzle. Oklahoma City hasn't exactly been the most sought-after free-agent destination, so the Thunder have to build a contender with what they have, through the draft and trades. Having a top-10 player already on the roster obviously makes that process a lot easier.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: I mean, we wouldn't even be having this conversation if not for Westbrook, so from that standpoint there's no question he helps.
How Westbrook's style influences free agents would be more of an issue if the Thunder had the cap space to add a major contributor. As it is, Oklahoma City would be shopping for the kind of role player who should benefit from the attention Westbrook draws.
2. Fact or Fiction: The Thunder should be willing to pay Andre Roberson $15 million per season.
Windhorst: Fact. Wing is the most desired position in the league right now and the thinnest. He's a role player who's limited, for sure, but the Thunder cannot replace him, and they have to protect the asset, if nothing else.
Elhassan: Fiction. The only value in locking into a long-term deal with an athletic wing defender is if he shows some semblance of being an offensive threat. Forget 3-and-D, Roberson is a career 26 percent 3-point shooter and 49 percent free throw shooter, and he fell short of those career marks this season. Why pay $15 million a year for someone you can get for the veterans minimum?
Pelton: (Gulp.) Fact. While Oklahoma City has added Jerami Grant as another defensive option, he's even less capable offensively than Roberson and is probably better suited to defend 3s and 4s than 1s and 2s anyway. So while it would mean a hefty luxury-tax bill, I think the Thunder should match such an offer to Roberson.
Haberstroh: Fact. Once Michael Kidd-Gilchrist got $13 million annually over four years, the market was set for Roberson, who has a much better track record of health. Roberson can't shoot, but he's still an excellent complement for Westbrook with an elite ability to get offensive rebounds and defend star guards.
Engelmann: Fiction. Roberson is one of the best wing defenders, but he becomes a liability in the playoffs because of his horrendous free throw shooting. He has made 12 percent of his attempts against the Rockets. When an opponent wants him off the floor, it can just hack him, as Houston did in Game 4. You don't want to be paying $15 million for a player who can't finish games.
3. What else do you foresee and advise for the Thunder this offseason?
Pelton: Oklahoma City doesn't have the financial flexibility to do much in free agency this offseason, so getting a contributor with this year's first-round pick is imperative. This draft appears deep on the kind of quality backup point guard the Thunder could use to stay competitive when Westbrook is on the bench, and that's where I'd look to add.
Engelmann: For next season, OKC has about $61 million per season tied up in Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, limiting its roster flexibility. But because those players are a bit overpaid, they would be more difficult to trade. Still, I'd make all three players available.
Elhassan: Bringing back Taj Gibson should be a priority. He's exactly the kind of role player OKC needs -- a solid team and individual defender who is not an offensive liability. Beyond that, the biggest struggle will be adding shooting, a skill that comes with a heavy premium nowadays.
Haberstroh: Invest in 3-point shooters. They buried Anthony Morrow on the bench and then traded him for Doug McDermott, who can barely get on the floor. They had Ersan Ilyasova and bailed on him three games into the season for Jerami Grant, who doesn't shoot 3s. As much as I appreciate their youth movement, they have to give Westbrook a reason to stay in 2018.
Windhorst: The Thunder need shooting, and they've needed it for a while. They have to find some release valves for Westbrook. That probably doesn't mean they're getting a star, but they have to look for options to stretch the floor.
4. What is a trade (or kind of trade) you would like to see OKC make?
Engelmann: I want to see them trade Kanter, who will make $18 million next season as a sixth man. Kanter can score, but defensively he is continually ranked among the worst centers in the league in real plus-minus (RPM). Teams that desperately need low-post scoring, such as New York and Sacramento, might be interested.
Haberstroh: Jared Dudley seems like such a perfect fit that I'm surprised he hasn't been in OKC yet. Tyson Chandler and Dudley for Kanter and a batch of youth makes a lot of sense for both sides. If they're looking for the next Nick Collison, it's media mogul Jared Dudley, a career 40 percent shooter from deep.
Pelton: Shedding Kanter's $17.9 million salary would give the Thunder a lot more options financially. Given Kanter is unplayable in certain playoff matchups, if I could move him without giving up any picks in the deal, I'd explore that. It's possible Kanter could be more valuable on a team that is just trying to get to the playoffs rather than worried about winning there.
Windhorst: I'm not sure about the market for Kanter, but I'd explore it. He's a defensive liability, but he's one of the most efficient offensive players in the league, and he can be a huge stat generator on the right team.
Elhassan: Are there any suckers left for Kanter? What seemed like a savvy deadline deal to add talent two years ago and a no-brainer offer sheet match now has reared its ugly head for what it is: the acquisition of a player who is ill-suited for postseason play. Still, there might be a foolish enough buyer who will be intrigued by Kanter's ability to fill up the box score.
5. Assume that Westbrook stays in OKC and the Thunder were a stock. If you were looking three years ahead, would you buy, sell or hold?
Windhorst: Westbrook is an MVP in his prime. So this is a no-brainer question. Anything but "buy" would sound contrarian to me. And the Thunder will try to buy this summer when they offer him a new contract under the loophole created in the new CBA specifically for Westbrook to cash in on a $200 million deal.
Elhassan: Sell. If he stays, I find it hard to imagine the organization having the fortitude to force him to evolve, mature and change his style of play. I don't see any star-caliber player willingly going to OKC. And if he leaves, the Thunder are a crater in the ground.
Haberstroh: Sell. I thought this would be a breakout season for Adams and Oladipo, but I'm worried that Westbrook's omnipotence will continue to stifle their development into that second star OKC desperately needs.
This was a 43-39 season based on their point differential, and so some regression has to be expected next season. As we saw in the playoffs, "clutch Westbrook" can be a finicky concept.
Engelmann: Probably sell. The Thunder's long-term success is going to be determined by the front office and the moves it makes. Unfortunately, not only has Thunder management gotten extremely little out of the past three drafts, its trade history has been extremely dicey as well. The franchise hasn't made a home run decision since drafting Harden in 2009.
Pelton: Sell. I've never been as enamored of Oklahoma City's young talent -- Adams and Oladipo, most notably -- as the rest of the world seems to be, and I fear Westbrook's all-out style of play might not age well as he enters his 30s. It's possible the Thunder never move past the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture.