NBA Trade: 3 contracts the Oklahoma City Thunder need to offload this summer

Heading into the 2018 offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder's primary objective was to convince Paul George to sign a new extension. With rival teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers interested in signing George, few expected the Thunder to convince the All-Star to stay, however, much to the disbelief of most analysts around the league, the 28-year-old committed his future to the franchise until 2021.

While the re-signing of George was evidently crucial to the Thunder's ability to compete in the forthcoming years, it also left the franchise with one of the largest payrolls in NBA history. Due to this, the Thunder's ability to compete in the trade market is currently restricted, and here we will explore three players the Thunder should let go in order to free up resources.

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#3 Patrick Patterson

Patterson in action for the Thunder during the Western Conference playoffs

Patrick Patterson's arrival in 2017 was widely commended as a great piece of business by Sam Presti and the Thunder. After all, Patterson was coming off a season in which he performed well from the Toronto Raptors' bench, and handing him a $15.5 three-year deal looked to be a no brainer.

Nevertheless, after making a solid start to life in Oklahoma City, Patterson's performances slowly declined, and in recent months the 30-year-old has barely featured at all. For the season Patterson is averaging just 14.4 minutes per game, playing just nine minutes over the Thunder's last ten games.

The power forward has slipped behind the likes of Terrance Ferguson and Markieff Morris in Billy Donovan's rotation, and due to this, Patterson is offering little in return for his $5 million annual salary. His contract has one more season to run, and it makes little sense to retain him in his current role.

#2 Andre Roberson

Roberson has not featured for the Thunder for more than a year

Back in 2017, Andre Roberson signed a 3-year $30 million contract to remain with the Thunder. The forward has been a regular starter for the team since 2015, although the defensive stopper has missed the last 15 months through injury, allowing the likes of Terrance Ferguson to lay claim to his place in the starting five.

Roberson undoubtedly remains one of the NBA's best defenders, and the 27-year-old has previously demonstrated that he fits well into a team alongside Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Nevertheless, Roberson's poor offense remains a major concern, and there are also question marks over how badly his current injury will affect him once he returns to the court.

Ultimately, the Thunder have performed better than expected without Roberson in the team, and if the team goes on a lengthy playoff run, it may be time to move on.

#1 Dennis Schroder

Schroder has served as Russell Westbrook's back

Dennis Schroder deserves an immense amount of credit for both his performances and his positive attitude to being used from the bench this season. However, the German still has a vastly overpriced deal on a roster that is already well into the luxury tax, as the 25-year-old is currently in the third season of a four-year, $70 million contract extension that he signed with the Atlanta Hawks back in 2016.

Despite nearing the end of his career, Raymond Felton can still provide good production as a backup point guard, and his presence should help to nullify the loss of Schroder. It is also worth noting that after a strong season, the German may prove to be a valuable trade chip this summer, and it makes sense for the Thunder to Schroder while they can still get something in return.