Utah Jazz: Could standing pat be the best path forward?

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 15: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jae Crowder #99 of the Utah Jazz look for the ball during the second half of Game One of the Western Conference in the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 15, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carmelo Anthony; Jae Crowder

Oklahoma City Thunder

You could write an entire offseason saga about the situation the Thunder have found themselves in. But since it has been well documented basically from the moment Carmelo Anthony put pen to paper, I’m going to keep this one brief and hit the high notes.

First, the Thunder are going to be over the cap regardless of what Paul George decides to do. Assuming Carmelo opts into the final year of his deal OKC is going to pay the combination of Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, Carmelo and Andre Roberson just under $100 million for the 2018-19 season.

Considering the cap will land somewhere between $101 and $108 million next year and NBA rosters typically run around 13 deep, this is obviously a problem for the Thunder. Oklahoma City is not a big market, and you’d have to figure ownership would only be willing to pay the luxury tax for a proven winner. This roster is arguably (probably?) not that.

When you add in the crippling effect that Russ’ deal is going to have on their books ($46 million in the final year!) and their lack of a first round pick this year, it’s hard to imagine the Thunder competing with the Jazz without a major overhaul to their roster.