Things have gone from bad to worse for the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the news that forward
Mitch McGary will miss the start of the new NBA season following an additional suspension as a result of violating the NBA’s drug policy. McGary was originally only handed just a five-game sentence for his actions back in July, however the league has recently announced that the 24-year-old will now miss a total of fifteen games. This is as a result of this incident not being McGary’s first
misdemeanour involving drugs, with the former University of Michigan man suspended back in 2014 after failing a test. It is believed that McGary escaped the full repercussions of the matter thanks to his 21st pick in the NBA draft, with the forward going on to average 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds from his 32 game rookie season.
As a result, the power forward’s future in the Western Conference is very much up in the air, with the Thunder now believed to be willing to either trade or waive McGary before the start of pre-season. However, having failed to impress Head Coach Billy Donovan and supporters at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on the court since his arrival, his market value has decreased significantly, meaning the Thunder may well struggle to find a new home for the 6ft 8” player. McGary was already reportedly on the trading block with OKC, with his latest discrepancies only helping to justify such a decision.
It is certainly a difficult time for the Thunder at present, who are already having to cope with the
damaging loss of Kevin Durant to the Warriors, and with replacing the seven-time NBA all-star proving difficult to replace. Having seen the two-time Olympic gold medallist depart for nothing, attracting the likes of Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin or Paul George is no mean feat. Having been among the top five most backed teams for the NBA title last season, failure to add quality to their roster could
see Oklahoma slip further down the pecking order.
Having helped lead his team to a first Western Conference final since 2012, only to be beaten by the
Warriors despite holding a 3-1 lead, the Thunder can take heart from the fact that Russell Westbrook
has decided to extend his stay, despite continued speculation over his future during the off-season.
Having finished behind both the Warriors and the Spurs in the 2015-16 seasons, Westbrook and Co
certainly have their work cut out in order to not repeat their 2014 season, where injuries and poor
performances led to them missing out on the play-offs.
