The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short in the postseason as the Utah Jazz bested them in the first round.
The first year experiment of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony joining Russell Westbrook didn't work out like expected and it has left the franchise with some tough questions to answer this summer.
The biggest thing will be George's decision on his future. If he stays in OKC, that leaves the Thunder with two bonafide stars in PG and Russ. Carmelo Anthony has fallen off and will likely opt into his player option, leaving the Thunder with less flexibility.
But if George leaves, it could lead to the Thunder considering another route, one of rebuild. Westbrook isn't going anywhere anytime soon but if George was gone and the Thunder found away to get rid of Anthony, they could start to look into starting over to some extent.
General manager Sam Presti discussed the topic recently, via The Oklahoman:
“We're still working off the canvas of 2008,” Presti said of the draft that brought Westbrook and Ibaka to a roster that included Durant. “We arrived here and haven't turned the page because we haven't rebuilt the team since 2008. I'm happy about that. We're trying to make it work as long as we can. Ultimately us, like every other team, is going to have to find ourselves in a position where we'll have to rebuild.”
It doesn't sound like Presti is interested in a rebuild just yet and to be honest, it would be completely impossible to totally tank as long as Russell Westbrook is on the roster.
But this summer will tell a lot about where this franchise is going in the near and long-term future and some tough decisions may need to be made soon.
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