OKC Thunder: 4 rising-stars worth trading draft picks for

The OKC Thunder have a bevy of draft capital in their possession over the next several seasons. Should they look to trade some of it, there are a few players worth parting ways with them for.

Though many fans came into the 2020-21 season expecting a full-out tankathon from the OKC Thunder, it appears someone forgot to tell the players.

Through nine games the team finds themselves placed in the eighth-seed in the Western Conference standings, boasting a solid record of 5-4 and are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak.

With this reletively surprising start, some fans have begun to flip their mindset in favor of competing this season rather than solely setting their sights on a top-flight draft selection — though, both would be nice things to see come season’s end.

Due to their better than expected start and, frankly, better than advertised team, there are some who believe that instead of hoarding their copious amounts of draft capital (as many as 18 first-round picks could be in OKC’s possession of the next seven seasons) Sam Presti and co. might want to consider flipping some of these assets in an effort to acquire additional talent (either young or experienced) to better surround Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Today, we present to you a list of four specific players we at Thunderous Intentions believe would be worth the OKC Thunder giving up draft picks for:

OKC Thunder trade candidate No. 1) Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls

Next up we find another young and talented big man wallowing away on an underperforming team in Chicago Bulls’ power forward, Lauri Markkanen.

Starting out the season well within the trade rumor mill, followed by a failure to come to an agreement on a contract extension, the idea of the 23-year-old being dealt at some point this season is obviously a hot one found in the media and, should this happen, we believe the OKC Thunder should consider striking a deal.

For his career, the Finnish-born baller boasts averages of 16.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and half a block per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from deep.

A young bit with as much talent as him is not as easy to come by as one may think. Because of this, should the Bulls be willing to part with him for a few first, it might be wise of Sam Presti to consider such a move.