With their bevy of deals that kicked off the 2020 offseason, the OKC Thunder have been linked to a few more moves that Bleacher Report believes they could make.
With their surprise postseason run in 2019-20 now in the rearview, the OKC Thunder look to 2020-21, where their main priority is player development and, seemingly, the draft.
It is a large belief amongst the fanbase that this coming season will be one to simply come and go, as the word “tank” has been tossed around like a pigskin on Thanksgiving.
Whatever your thoughts on the matter may be, it is a universal belief that, though we may be within weeks till tip-off for the regular season, the Thunder could still be in line to make some trades.
Though many may want the smaller deals that send out veterans for future assets — a trend recently for Sam Presti and co. — Bleacher Report recently came out with an article that proposes 3 different deals, all of varying sizes, that OKC could still make this offseason.
With this, we here at Thunderous Intentions are going to play a game entitled “Pass or Pursue” where we discuss concocted trades and determine whether it would be wise for the franchise to execute them or if they should simply stand pat.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started:
OKC Thunder trade idea No. 1) Cody Zeller and Malik Monk come to town
In this deal, we see the Thunder engaging in talks with the Hornets that sends recently acquired big man Al Horford and the Golden State Warrior’s 2021 first-round pick (acquired in the Kelly Oubre Jr. deal) to Charlotte in exchange for center Cody Zeller and point guard Malik Monk.
The deal, as explained by writer Greg Swartz, is all about opening up the books for OKC in the future, as he explains:
"The Thunder could own as many as three first-rounders next year and would essentially be paying for cap space in 2021 here. Zeller and Monk represent $20.7 million in expiring salary, potentially making the Thunder one of the biggest players in a star-studded free-agent class."
What it seems like Swartz is missing is the fact that, based on the franchise’s history, the OKC Thunder are never really a player for the top-billed talents on the open market. This is no disrespect to the team, nor to Oklahoma City as a whole but, rather, a well-known fact that small-town teams are generally left in the dust when the available stars are searching for their next “home.”
In a perfect world, where there was no difference between small and big markets, a deal like this might make sense.
However, in THIS reality, the idea of sending away a first-round pick for expiring contracts to clear up cap space based on the hope that a Giannis Antetokounmpo or a Kawhi Leonard would come is reletively wasteful.
Don’t get things twisted, I’m all for dealing a few of the team’s plethora of first-round selections. That said, this proposed deal just ain’t it!
Verdict: Pass
OKC Thunder trade idea No. 2) George Hill flipped for some young assets
Next up on the docket, we see the idea that has seemingly been on everyone’s mind since George Hill has landed in Oklahoma City: flipping the veteran floor general for younger/ more desirable assets.
In this proposed deal, the Thunder would be giving up Hill along with no draft capital in exchange for veteran sharp-shooter Mike Scott, third-year pro Furkan Korkmaz, and recent breakout guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, Shake Milton.
Swartz’s reasoning for why OKC could consider this move heavily revolves around the addition of Milton.
"The Thunder wouldn’t get more picks here, but Milton is a nice young guard who could start alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC’s backcourt. The 24-year-old averaged 9.4 points and shot 43.0 percent from three during his sophomore season."
Last season with the Sixers, Milton showed that he has what it takes to both properly run an offense as well as perfectly mesh alongside other players within the team that are considered to be the focal points.
While filling in for the injured Ben Simmons last season at point guard, the 24-year-old posted impressive averages of 13.7 points and 4.2 assists per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor and 47.5 percent shooting from deep.
He would easily come in as the best option to run alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt and, as both are still so young and under their rookie contracts, could prove to be a very solid and inexpensive guard tandem moving forward.
This deal would also bring on Scott (36 percent career 3-point shooter), as mentioned earlier, and the likes of 23-year-old Turkish-born wing, Furkan Korkmaz who, last season, had somewhat of a breakout campaign of his own — averaged 9.8 points on 43 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.
All for a player that, though still a solid contributor, doesn’t really fit the mold in which this OKC team is trying to fill?
Where do we sign up?!
Verdict: Pursue
OKC Thunder trade idea No. 3) Team gets potential long-term answer at center
With the fact that long-time OKC Thunder staple, Steven Adams was traded this offseason, the starting center position is completely up for grabs in the long run. While the team currently has Horford likely manning the middle in 2020-21, sooner or later Sam Presti will look to ship him off.
In this B/R article, Swartz proposes that the franchise could package a deal together to actually land a potential long-term answer at the pivot in Orlando Magic big man, Mo Bamba.
"At some point, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti has to stop trading for draft picks and start turning them into real players, right? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could use a new franchise center to play alongside since Steven Adams is now gone, and Bamba, who’s still only 22 years old, was the No. 6 overall pick in 2018. He’ll likely remain on the bench as long as Nikola Vucevic is in Orlando, which means the Thunder should see if he’s available for a first-rounder (or two). A 7’0″ shot-blocker who’s shown signs of becoming an effective outside shooter, Bamba would get a starting job in OKC while the Magic would land a pair of picks, including a first-rounder in 2021."
Despite not being able to find much playing time with the Magic rotation, as he’s been trapped behind the likes of Vucevic, Johnathan Issac, and Aaron Gordon in the frontcourt, in limited action Bamba has managed to showcase the many reasons as to why the franchise took a chance on him in the lottery not two years ago.
Per 36 minutes, the young center saw averages of 13.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and a whopping 3.5 blocks per game on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep in 2019-20.
And sure, while many may suggest that per 36 averages are mere conversions and not reality — which, fine, you have a point — during the times in which Bamba actually did receive extended play during last year’s campaign, he managed to deliver.
When logging 20-29 minutes in 2019-20, the former Longhorn saw averages of 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a game on 52 percent shooting from the floor and an incredible 70 percent shooting from deep on 2.5 attempts.
If all it took to land a young prospect like Mo Bamba was a Golden State Warriors pick that’s already top-20 protected, a second-rounder, and Justin Jackson, in my humble opinion, this should be a no-brainer!