With the NBA training camp only a month away and most free agents already plucked by GMs, it's time to focus on the NBA's ever-changing and sometimes befuddling trade market.
Lauri Markkanen’s saga ended with him re-signing with the Chicago Bulls so they could trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that also involved the Portland Trail Blazers. The arrangement was remarkable only in that it, A) did nothing to improve any of the three teams in the deal, and B) it ended any speculation about the Thunder attempting to reach the salary cap floor (the minimum amount NBA teams are allowed to use for player salary) by getting involved in free agency.
After the Thunder signed Vit Krejci to a guaranteed contract, the team still sits with approximately $33.5 million to spend on players before needing to employ any cap exceptions. If the team chooses to stand pat with this roster until the end of the season, the $22MM that they fail to spend to reach the salary cap “floor” will be divvied up among the players on the roster as a fiscal hardship bonus for playing on a crappy team.