Ranking the OKC Thunder's Biggest Priorities for the 2015 NBA Offseason

The time is now for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the front office knows it. Injuries have played a significant role in derailing OKC’s title aspirations to this point, but general manager Sam Presti is no longer sticking with the status quo and betting on the team’s ability to improve from within.

Kevin Durant’s free agency is a terrifying proposition for the small-market franchise, and Presti is pulling out all the stops to keep Durant in OKC. Head coach Scott Brooks did nothing this season to warrant losing his job, but Presti could not afford to wait and see if Brooks was capable of leading this team to a championship.

Like any NBA team, the Thunder have a list of priorities for this offseason. Unlike most other teams, the way they handle those issues will affect the championship picture for the next five years.

The most important task at hand is finding a new coach, but there are other pressing tasks Presti has to complete. Here’s a look at the five biggest priorities of a critical offseason for the Thunder.

5. Find a Reliable Backup Small Forward

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The backup small forward is pivotal because he affects Durant. Russell Westbrook was absolutely brilliant last year, but this team still goes as far as Durant takes it. A monstrous workload has historically been the norm for KD, and this may have contributed to the injuries that plagued his nightmarish season.

The Thunder cannot afford for those maladies to flare up again next season. Obviously, injuries are part of the game, and there’s no foolproof way to avoid them, but OKC can improve its odds by finding a reliable backup.

Not only will such a player reduce the physical toll on Durant’s body, but he’ll allow Durant to be fresh for the playoffs—something we haven’t seen in the last two postseason trips.

Maybe the backup is already on the roster (like Perry Jones or Kyle Singler) and needs a new coach to find the best role for him. Perhaps the backup is a free agent like Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Wherever he comes from, Presti needs to find a player who can take minutes off Durant’s body and fill a weak spot on the depth chart.

4. Rest and Get Healthy

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

This won’t be on Presti’s to-do list since it’s out of his control, but it is still a vital part of OKC’s offseason. Tinkering with personnel will help, but not as much as simply getting healthy.

Roster limitations and coaching have hurt the Thunder’s quest for a trophy, but injuries have been the most devastating obstacle in their path.

Durant, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter are all currently dealing with injuries, but all should (fingers crossed) be healthy by the time training camp and the preseason roll around.

Whether it’s rest, improving the training procedures or making peace with Lil’ B, the Thunder have to hope and pray that their team can get back to full strength by the start of next season and that no other new injury concerns pop up before then.

3. Maximize the Draft Pick

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For the first time since 2009, the Thunder’s draft pick will fall in the lottery. The chances of leaping into the top three are slim, so OKC will likely wind up with the 14th pick.

In an ideal scenario, Presti lands a great player capable of immediately filling OKC’s biggest need—shooting guard. Prospects like Mario Hezonja, Kelly Oubre, R.J. Hunter and Devin Booker are intriguing options with the physical tools and shooting ability to develop into competent two-way players.

One potential issue with this draft pick is whether the Thunder have the roster space to sign him. They currently have 13 players under contract for next season, and Presti has indicated that he’d like to bring back Enes Kanter if the price is right, via Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.

That pushes the count to 14, and we don’t know when Josh Huestis will sign his contract with the Thunder. In addition, OKC should be looking at potential free agents on the wings to shore up its depth.

Whatever Presti does, he can’t afford to convert that pick into a future asset (either by another Huestis situation or drafting a player who stays abroad for the year). A lottery pick is a rare commodity for a championship contender, and Presti needs to make the most of it.

2. Re-Sign Enes Kanter

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The Thunder are already hovering around the luxury-tax threshold for next season, so they’ll only have $3.3 million (the taxpayer mid-level exception) to sign free agents. Unless that is Enes Kanter.

OKC holds Kanter’s Bird rights and can exceed the cap to re-sign him. This essentially makes him the only major free agent the Thunder can realistically sign.

The defensive concerns are legitimate, but the offensive talent is too tantalizing to pass up. Kanter adds a completely new element to the OKC offense, and he’s still young enough that his defense can improve to acceptable levels.

Other free agents and draft picks are unlikely to make the Thunder significantly better. Kanter is the surest bet to have a profound effect on the way the team plays, and that’s why he’s so high on this list.

The Thunder’s recent moves suggest they’re going “all in” this year. Re-signing Kanter fits that mold.

1. Find the Right Coach

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

The search for OKC’s next head coach is undoubtedly Sam Presti’s most important task of the offseason. There are areas to improve the roster, but a healthy core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka is good enough to contend. Adding free agents or draft picks could certainly help, but no move will have a greater impact on the future of the franchise than the hiring of a new head coach.

Though the Thunder are one of the most talented teams in the league, getting them to the Finals will be no cakewalk. The new coach will need to establish an offensive system that allows his superstars to exploit mismatches without becoming predictable. If Kanter is re-signed, the new coach will need to aid his individual development on defense and find ways to offset his shortcomings as a team defender.

The decision to fire Scott Brooks was momentous, and Presti needs to make sure he finds the right replacement: a coach who earns the trust of Westbrook and Durant, maintains the strong Thunder culture and can keep pace with other elite coaches in the postseason.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Florida head coach Billy Donovan is the "only serious candidate" in Presti's search and the Thunder are prepared to offer him the job. If that's the case, it's certainly a risky move by Presti. Donovan has plenty of coaching experience in college, but it's always hard to project how that translates to the pro game.

There are a few factors working in Donovan's favor, however. Firstly, he already has a relationship with Presti and two of his former staff are already working for the organization (Mark Daigneault as coach of the Thunder's D-League team and Oliver Winterbone as a data analyst).

Secondly, even though he doesn't have NBA experience, he's an established name in college circles. He's worked with many NBA players in the past, and Wojnarowski notes that Durant is already feeling positive about the coach after talking to some of Donovan's former players.

Lastly, he tends closer to the Brad Stevens end of the college coach spectrum than the Rick Pitino end. His Florida offense is pro-like with lots of spacing and outside shooting, and he seems like a coach that puts the players first (a must for any college coach making the transition).

Presti is a very calculating GM, and Donovan seems to have been his choice to replace Brooks from the start. It's impossible to project how first-time NBA coaches will fare, but there are reasons to be optimistic about Donovan.