OKC Thunder: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently rumored trade ideas

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!

Verdict: Pursue