Report: Thunder aggressively pursuing Dorell Wright

Signing James Harden to a long-term extension proved too costly to the Thunder, so they traded him for Kevin Martin. Now Martin is a free agent, and he might be too expensive, too.

So, once again, Oklahoma City is ready to downgrade.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

Oklahoma City has begun an aggressive pursuit of Philadelphia free-agent guard Dorell Wright, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The return of Kevin Martin to the Thunder appears unlikely, unless the market for him dries up completely and he has to return at a far lower rate than he’s trying to find, league sources said.

Wright is a nice fallback option, but he’s not Martin, who’s not Harden. With Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder can contend for a championship right now. This is the time they shouldn’t be cheap, because even the slightest difference could make the difference between an NBA Finals loss and a title – a much, much, much larger difference than, say, a first-round loss or second-round appearance.

Durant and Westbrook could create plenty of outside looks for Wright, who’s a good 3-point shooter, but Martin can better fill that role. Wright is younger than Martin, so his future might be brighter, but like I said, Oklahoma City should be focused on now.