OKC Thunder: 3 players that should be traded following the team's first-round playoff exit

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2019 postseason with the confidence that they could compete. Following a difficult period after the All-Star break, Billy Donovan's men had won their final five games of the season, and the team was handed a favorable pathway to the Western Conference Finals.

They avoided early matchups against Houston and Golden State, and the Blazers were a team that OKC had swept during the regular season.

Nevertheless, due to the individual brilliance of Damian Lillard, the Thunder once again fell at the first hurdle. Despite the presence of both Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have now failed to win a playoff series since 2016, and it is evident that the current roster is not good enough to compete for a championship.

General manager Sam Presti is likely to recognize this fact himself, and there may be major changes to the roster over the next few months. So, ahead of a potentially busy summer, here are three players that OKC should trade away.

#3 Patrick Patterson

Patterson's minutes with the Thunder are at a career-low

Patrick Patterson enjoyed a reasonably successful first season in Oklahoma City -- although his 18/19 campaign was one to forget. The 30-year-old averaged 3.6 points in 63 games this season, although he barely featured after the team added Markieff Morris towards the end of the season.

Despite his lack of playtime, Patterson recently spoke about his happiness in Oklahoma City, and it is extremely unlikely that he will opt out of his $5.7 million player option for the 19/20 season.

Morris is also likely to exit this summer, however, it still seems doubtful that Patterson will get good minutes ahead of Jerami Grant and Andre Roberson. This means that the Thunder will continue to get little input from the money they are paying Patterson, and trading away the veteran looks like an easy decision.

#2 Dennis Schroder

Despite his bench role, Dennis Schroder is among the highest earning stars on the OKC roster

Despite primarily appearing from the Thunder bench this season, Dennis Schroder was among the team's biggest contributors. Over 79 appearances, the German averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, and only Paul George and Russell Westbrook recorded more points over the course of the season.

After impressing in his role as back-up point guard to Westbrook, many experts around the NBA heralded Schroder as the league's best backup, although this is a luxury the Thunder cannot afford to have.

The Thunder desperately needs to add a capable shooter to round out their starting lineup, and Schroder's four-year, $70 million contract is something the team could do without. Raymond Felton is currently signed to a minimum deal, whereas a player such as Isaiah Thomas could also replace Schroder's input from the bench.

#1 Steven Adams

The Oklahoma City Thunder may consider trading the big Kiwi

For the last couple of seasons, Steven Adams has been seemingly on the cusp of transforming into an All-Star player. The Kiwi center can make an impact at both ends of the court, however, he has continued to struggle during matchups against the NBA's most dominant centers.

Adams has also failed to develop any sort of shot from beyond the arc, and his playoff performances were poor as the Thunder were eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers.

At 25, plenty will argue that Adams will continue to develop, although more evidence points towards the fact that he has already hit his ceiling.

While there is no doubting that the Thunder would like to keep Adams around, his four-year $100 million contract gives Sam Presti little room to improve the roster. Ultimately, Adams has been a great servant to the Thunder, although his departure may be a necessary evil so that the team can improve other parts of the roster.