The NBA Trade deadline is a pick your own adventure book for OKC Thunder
By Rylan Stiles
The OKC Thunder are in a pick your own adventure book as we approach the NBA trade deadline. The possibilities are endless.
It’s that time of year again. The Super Bowl is over, baseball is still weeks away, and all eyes are on the NBA. If you are an NBA Junkie like myself, you need to be prepared for little if any sleep this week. Don’t worry, I will make the coffee. Enough to share. Want any cream or sugar? As we hurl towards the NBA Trade deadline in less than 73 hours, the OKC Thunder could not be in a better position.
Have you ever seen, or better yet read, a choose your own adventure novel? The plot, the outcome, the story entirely depending on what you choose. There are no wrong answers…just answers. There really isn’t a bad outcome, but a ton of variations. That is exactly how I would describe this NBA Trade deadline for the OKC Thunder…A choose your own adventure novel.
Although given how quickly the trade deadline will come and go, it might be a pamphlet more so than a novel. Maybe we can give it a funny, founding era name. The Presti Papers? Let’s go with that.
Entering the season, a lot of people thought the trade deadline would be super busy for Presti and company, and it still might be. However, not out of necessity. The OKC Thunder are sitting pretty in the standings, and no matter what moves they do or do not make it would take a historic collapse for them to miss out on the postseason.
With their current record, that means the team does not need to take pennies on the dollar for the coveted wing, Danilo Gallinari. They also do not need to find a trade partner for Steven Adams by any means. Oh yeah, and Dennis Schroder?
He has been a huge part of the reason the team is so good and has increased his trade stock to the likes we never thought possible. Sam Presti adding Lu Dort as an undrafted free agent, a move I loved from the beginning, has even made Terrance Ferguson expendable.
This season could not have got anymore perfect for the OKC Thunder. CP3 has bought in and has made a noticeable difference as the leader of this team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already on the cusp of stardom. Steven Adams recovered from his start of the year woes to get back on track and be in high demand. Billy Donovan, in the last year of his deal, proved he is a good NBA head coach.
We will have a ton of time to reflect on the season as a whole, but let’s dive into this ever-interesting NBA trade deadline. The most interesting trade cut off in the Thunder’s history if I do say so myself. Prior to knowing what the moves are (or aren’t), there are already more possibilities than ever before. The trade deadline hasn’t had this much juice since someone made up a story out of Andre Roberson hugging a teammate on deadline day.