GM: John Hamm, @JonMHamm

Salary Cap: $142,394,636

Luxury Tax: $7,872,364

GOAL: Continue what you’ve been doing: keep asset building. However, it might be time to start consolidating assets to move but still need to remain patient with the rebuild.

Priorities

• You have two decent size TPEs…. Don’t be afraid to take on salary into one of them if a pick is attached to it

o   However, due to the amount of dead money on the books, you need to be conscious of your tax situation

• Consider trading Darius Bazley if you don’t have the intent of re-signing him

• Consider trading Mike Muscala, plenty of teams can utilize a big who can shoot

Players to Dangle

Darius Bazley (1/$4.2)

o   Salary: $4,264,629

o   Can match up to $7,563,100

Mike Muscala (2/$7 w/ TO in 2023-24)

o   Salary: $3,500,000

o   Can match up to $6,225,000

o   These are the only two guys I can really see OKC putting on the block and also gauging interest from other teams. Maybe OKC would move Tre Mann, but these are the two immediate guys I see them trying to move.

Assets Owned

• TPE: $10,183,800
• TPE: $4,220,057
• 2023 1st (more favorable of OKC and LAC)
• 2024 1st
• 2024 HOU 1st (top four protected, if not conveyed then 2024 & 2025 2nd)
• 2024 LAC 1st
• 2024 UTA 1st (top 10 protected in ‘24 & ‘25, top 8 protected in ‘26)
• 2025 MIA 1st (top 14 protected)
• 2025 1st (most favorable of OKC, LAC, & HOU (HOU top 10 protected)
• 2025 PHI 1st (top six protected)
• 2026 1st
• 2026 LAC 1st
• 2026 HOU 1st (top four protected)
• 2027 DEN 1st (could convert to 2028 1st top five protected)
• 2027 1st
• 2028 1st
• 2029 1st
• 2023 2nd (most favorable of a) own b) WAS or b) most favorable of DAL & MIA)
• 2024 2nd (less favorable of CHA & MIN)
• 2025 2nd (most favorable of MEM & BOS)
• 2025 PHI 2nd
• 2026 2nds (two most favorable of OKC, DAL, & PHI)
• 2027 2nds (three most favorable of OKC, HOU, IND, & MIA)
• 2028 2nd
• 2028 UTA 2nd
• 2029 2nd
• 2029 ATL 2nd

Mock Trades to Date (Feb 2 Deadline)

Lakers move off Nunn (again)

Lakers trade: Kendrick Nunn and the more favorable of their 2023 2nd and Chicago’s 2023 2nd

Thunder trade: Darius Bazley

This move is eerily similar to the deal the Lakers got done for Rui Hachimura in real life. Instead of the Lakers giving up three second-round picks in a deal for Hachimura, here it took one pretty good second-rounder and Kendrick Nunn’s matching salary for Darius Bazley. Also similar to Hachimura, Bazley is a restricted free agent this summer who the Lakers would have to re-sign this summer. While Hachimura is strictly more of a power forward, the Lakers desperately need wings, and Bazley can do just that. He isn’t a perfect fit, but he has theoretical upside and is just 22 years old. Since they gave up so little, this is a very low-risk, high-reward deal for the Lakers.

For the Thunder, roster spots are being scarce quickly and it is unlikely they will re-sign Bazley this summer, so unless they felt as though he could fetch more in a sign-and-trade for them this summer, this was a move that made sense.