Though we may be within weeks of the 2020-21 season from kicking off, B/R is under the impression that the OKC Thunder could still make some moves.
It’s almost here OKC Thunder fans — t-minus 10 days till you get to see your favorite NBA team take to the hardwood and contend for the 2020-21 NBA crown (we have to say it like that, even though we know it’s a long shot).
This offseason has been quite a busy one for Oklahoma City, as they managed to swap the likes of Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari, and Dennis Schroder for numerous flippable veteran assets, a trade exception, and a bevy of draft capital to add to their already illustrious treasure trove.
Though the majority of the work appears to be done for Sam Presti and co., this is not to say that said work is completely finished. With the many new acquisitions they’ve brought on this offseason comes various question marks in regard to if the team will wind up keeping them heading into the season, or if they’ll try and dangle them for assets deemed as more desirable.
Recently, Bleacher Report writer Mo Dakhil came up with several trades that would help the Los Angeles Clippers land a guard for the upcoming campaign. In the article, Dakhil suggested that L.A. could engage in trade talks with the OKC Thunder in an attempt to land veteran guard George Hill — acquired in the Adams deal.
Two trades were proposed within the piece, both involving Hill heading to the Clippers and the Thunder acquiring the services of veteran scoring machine, Lou Williams:
Trade idea No. 1)
Trade idea No. 2)
As I’m sure you are all aware, Williams is a fantastic talent in this league. He is a 3x NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner who is coming off a tremendous 2019-20 campaign where he posted 18.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep.
He would be an unbelievable asset for any championship contender looking for a spark-plug offensive talent to come off the pine. Frankly, for this reason, he doesn’t really make much sense for the OKC Thunder to pursue.
While of course there is a chance the team could win their first-ever NBA title this season — highly doubtful, we know — the focus for 2020-21 is developing their young core with an eye on the future.
With this in mind, adding on Sweet Lou to this roster would really not cater to the team’s current wants and, in turn, would just take touches away from the young guys.
We here at TI are certainly not against the Thunder making moves moving forward, but moves such as the ones Dakhil has proposed just don’t do it for us.