NBA executives are waiting out Western Conference team's roster crunch

OKC has 22 players on their roster, well above the limit of 15 (plus three two-way players). It's the result of a busy off-season where the team used its $30+ million in cap space primarily to take on players with expiring contracts, in order to add young players and future draft picks.

The Thunder came away from the off-season having added six second-round picks and a 2029 first-rounder, but they're going to have to get rid of five or six players before the season begins. OKC traded for veterans Davis Bertans, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills, added 21-year-olds Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington and signed Serbian guard Vasilije Micic, the 2021 EuroLeague MVP. They also signed two-way Denver Nuggets player Jack White.

That's far too many players. While players like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey and All-Rookie guard Jaylen Williams are locks, the Thunder are going to have some tough decisions ahead of them. While a player like Rudy Gay is an obvious buyout candidate, as is the injured Victor Oladipo, decisions become more difficult further down the roster.

Does OKC still believe in Aleksej "Poku" Pokusevski's production? Will Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's non-guaranteed contract mean he'll be gone? Could OKC trade third-year guard Tre Mann?

Last year, the Warriors poached guard Ty Jerome after the Thunder traded him to clear roster spots, and Charlotte scooped up Theo Maledon. This year, the excess Thunder players are even better. There will almost certainly be young, first-round talent available.

Look for playoff contenders to kick the tires on Gay and Mills, either after they're bought out or to add to Thunder GM Sam Presti's hoard of picks. Teams further away and with salary cap space might inquire about Mann or Washington, both who might have trouble cracking OKC's deep guard rotation. All of these players are NBA-caliber. There's just no room for them.

The free agent shopping frenzy may have passed, but there will be plenty of bargains at the roster clearance sale in Oklahoma City