OKC Thunder: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently listed trade targets
By Mark Nilon
For those of you who follow our work at Thunderous Intentions — we love you all — you already know we hope that the OKC Thunder make some moves between now and the March 25th trade deadline.
Be it to acquire a more established sidekick to run alongside franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or to offload some of their veteran talents for more favorable assets, there are many routes Sam Presti and co. can take as we move along through the season.
There are many players the OKC Thunder should target in a potential trade
Recently, Bleacher Report jumped into the mix and pinpointed 3 specific players they believe should be on OKC’s trade radar this season.
Naturally, this got TI’s creative juices flowing and, with this, we got eager to put out another installment of one of our favorite series we like to call “Pass or Purse”, where we discuss recently rumored trade targets and determine whether it would be wise for the franchise to try and acquire them or if the Thunder should simply stand pat.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started:
OKC Thunder trade target No. 1) Jaxson Hayes
First up on the docket we have the likes of sophomore big man Jaxson Hayes who, coming into the 2019 NBA Draft, was a player we here at TI were big on as a potential draft target for the OKC Thunder.
Displaying raw athleticism, great size & length, and a nose for swatting shots, the one-and-done Texas Longhorn looked like a promising young prospect coming into the pros.
Unfortunately, since being drafted eighth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, he has looked a bit lost, and the offseason acquisition of Steven Adams certainly has not helped aid in his development, as he now sees just 12 minutes of action a night and posts averages to the tune of 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game on 64 percent shooting from the field.
At this point, it seems Hayes is a lost cause in NOLA and, to some, he may be seen as a solid low-cost flier for the rebuilding Thunder to take a chance on. In fact, in the past, we said that the franchise should pursue, albeit lightly, the 20-year-old center.
That said, this mindset was instilled prior to the emergence of Isaiah Roby who has proven himself to be a useful commodity in the team’s rotation down low on both offense and defense.
In all likelihood, it would take a first-rounder to have the Pelicans be enticed to part with their second-year lottery pick and, frankly, we don’t feel it would be worth it for Oklahoma City to part with such a commodity for a stationary big.