Why The Thunder Should Keep The Last Roster Spot Open For Now
· Yahoo Sports
When the Denver Nuggets matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offer sheet for Spencer Jones, it quietly left the Thunder in an interesting position.
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Instead of adding another young wing to an already talented roster, Oklahoma City heads into the next phase of the offseason with an open roster spot. At first glance, that might seem like unfinished business. Fans naturally wonder if the Thunder will immediately look for another signing to fill that vacancy.
But the truth is, they don’t have to.
In fact, keeping that final roster spot open could end up being one of the smartest decisions Sam Presti makes all offseason.
If there’s one thing Presti has shown throughout his time in Oklahoma City, it’s that he rarely makes moves just for the sake of making them. Every decision is calculated, and flexibility has always been one of the organization’s biggest strengths. An open roster spot is just another form of flexibility.
The NBA changes quickly. A team that believes it’s a contender today could decide to become a seller by the trade deadline. Veterans become available through trades, and every season there are buyout candidates looking to join teams with legitimate championship aspirations.
If the Thunder already have an open roster spot, they’ll be in position to act immediately. They won’t have to waive a player they’ve spent years developing just to make room for someone who unexpectedly becomes available.
That’s a luxury not every contender has.
It also gives Oklahoma City time to evaluate the roster it already has.
The Thunder are one of the deepest teams in the league, and they have several young players who still have room to grow. Rather than rushing to fill the last spot in July, the organization can spend the first few months of the season seeing exactly where the roster excels and where it might need help.
Maybe another shooter becomes a priority. Maybe another big man is needed. Or maybe one of the younger players develops into exactly what they were looking for all along.
There’s simply no reason to rush.
The financial side matters, too.
While the Thunder have made it clear they’re willing to spend to compete for championships, every dollar counts under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. Leaving the 15th roster spot vacant saves salary and slightly lowers the luxury tax bill, all while maintaining flexibility for future moves and future extensions.
And perhaps the biggest reason of all is the simplest one.
This team doesn’t have an obvious hole that desperately needs to be filled.
Mark Daigneault already has one of the deepest rotations in basketball, and finding consistent minutes for everyone will be challenging enough. Whoever occupied that final roster spot likely wouldn’t have been part of the nightly rotation anyway.
The Thunder certainly liked Spencer Jones enough to extend an offer sheet, but once Denver chose to match it, there was no reason for Oklahoma City to panic and immediately pivot to another signing.
Instead, they can stay patient.
It may not generate headlines, but patience has become one of the defining traits of the Thunder’s front office. Time and again, Presti has shown that waiting for the right opportunity is often better than forcing one.
After missing out on Spencer Jones, Oklahoma City still has something valuable: options. And for a championship contender, that flexibility could prove far more important than simply filling the last spot on the roster.