Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 players that the Thunder need to keep for the 19-20 season
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2018/19 season with the belief that they could compete for a first NBA title, although their season ended with an increasingly familiar defeat in the first round of the playoffs.
OKC's 4-1 series defeat to the Trail Blazers marked a third consecutive first-round exit, and general manager Sam Presti is likely to make a number of changes to the roster this summer. However, not everything needs to change, and here we will examine three players that the Thunder should bring back for the 19-20 season.
#3 Raymond Felton
Raymond Felton enjoyed a fine first season with Thunder, although his opportunities decreased during the 18-19 campaign due to the addition of Dennis Schroder. Despite being utilized as the Thunder's third choice point guard, Felton performed well when called upon, averaging 4.3 points and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes per contest.
While Felton only appeared in 33 regular season games, Billy Donovan often spoke of Felton's professionalism and positive impact in the locker room, and the 34-year-old has continually expressed his commitment to the OKC franchise.
Still, it would make little sense to bring him back in a such a limited role, although with Dennis Schroder likely to be traded to free up cap space, Felton is likely to find himself as Russell Westbrook's backup once more.
While the veteran is a step back from Schroder, the Thunder need to focus on improving other areas of the roster, and Felton will be available on a minimum deal. With this in mind, a return for the veteran makes sense, and there is no reason why Felton cannot put up similar numbers to the 17-18 season.