The Oklahoma City Thunder were considered as frontrunners to sign Blake Griffin come free agency next year, but that may no longer be the case for the team.
The Thunder are expected to pursue another star in the summer of 2017 as they prepare to surround Russell Westbrook with better supporting cast.
There are plenty of available young veterans the Thunder could consider as replacement for Kevin Durant, but the most intriguing option for OKC turns out to be Oklahoma City native and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin.
However, ESPN's Zach Lowe believes there are "no signs" Griffin would ever consider a homecoming and join Westbrook in OKC, with the team already handing out lucrative contract extensions to Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams.
"There is no sign Blake Griffin wants to come home, per several sources. Extensions for Adams and Oladipo have Oklahoma City capped out this summer even if they slough off Kanter's deal; depending on what happens with Roberson in free agency, they might have to cut money from next season's payroll just to duck the luxury tax. It's unclear if they'll even have meaningful room in the summer of 2018," Lowe wrote.
Following Durant's exit in OKC, the teams has been linked to the next star they could possibly recruit. The timing couldn't have been better for the Thunder, with the Clippers also on the verge of potentially losing Griffin after a disappointing exit in the playoffs, but none of the several trade speculations materialized.
The Thunder could only hope that the Clippers would suffer another heart-breaking exit in the postseason, which may force LA to reconsider their plans of keeping Griffin long-term. With the salary cap set to rise again next summer, Griffin is expected to explore free agency and become an unrestricted free agent, giving the Thunder a great opportunity to lure an All-Star caliber talent, who has career averages of 21.5 points and 9.6 rebounds a game.
But if Griffin decides to stick with the Clippers, the Thunder could consider other options come free agency. It would be wise for the Thunder to add a veteran wing who could fill the void left by Durant. Among the wings available in the free agency class of 2017 are Warriors' Andre Iguodala (unrestricted), Jazz's Gordon Hayward (player option), and Kings' Rudy Gay (player option).
It remains to be seen whether the Thunder would develop genuine interest in pursuing the mentioned players, but Iguodala, Gay and Hayward are all two-way talents who can fit well playing alongside Westbrook. However, sealing any deals for either of the tree would prove too difficult for the Thunder after already handing out multi-million contract extensions to Oladipo and Adams.
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