The Oklahoma City Thunder etched their first marking on the wall last week in holding off addition Tony Bradley — opting to not extend out a qualifying offer. This transaction from Oklahoma City may have set a “precedent” on what was to come for mid-season acquisition Svi Mykhaliuk, but as we know now, that’s simply not the case.
As first reported by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Oklahoma City Thunder have extended a qualifying offer to Svi Mykhailiuk. The move gives the Thunder first dibs on signing Mykhailiuk in Free Agency while also allowing them to match any otherwise accepted deals.
Oklahoma City put up $2.0 million in sending Svi Mykhailiuk a qualifying offer.
Mykhailiuk earned his stripes while in Oklahoma City last season. The 24-year-old was expected to be nothing more than a corner sitter in his stint with the Thunder, but a linear progression saw the 24-year-old show off creating at the mid-range, attacking around the basket, and playing competent defense. In his 30 games with the franchise, Mykhaliuk put up 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 23.0 minutes per contest.
It’s unanimous the Svi has the talent to remain on Oklahoma City’s roster. In fact, they’ve been dying for a bench shooter similar for years. The determining factor, however, rests in the rotation. Oklahoma City is operating under maintenance with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, Ty Jerome, Josh Giddey, and Tre Mann at both guard spots. At the three, contestants Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Roby, Josh Hall, and potentially Darius Bazley or Aleksej Pokusevski will be vying for minutes there. There’s a major crunch at both of Svi’s positions, it’d be a tough gig to retain him without any further transactions.
The 6-foot-7 wing is expected to receive offers outside of Oklahoma City, though, the recent qualifying offer grants the Thunder the ultimate decision on if Svi still fits into the rotation.