OKC Thunder: “Pass or Pursue” on 5 proposed trade ideas
By Mark Nilon
The OKC Thunder recently halted their five-game skid with a buzzer-beating win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Though the team has been in the midst of a rebuild this season, this is not to say such a streak was expected, as Oklahoma City has been quite impressive through the first half of the 2020-21 campaign.
Having said that, as we approach the March 25th NBA Trade Deadline, perhaps Sam Presti and co. will opt to officially punt on the season and trade away some of their impactful veterans and reletively high-value role players in hopes of landing assets that could better help them build for the future — draft capital, young players, etc.
On the flip side, maybe the front office will look to continue their competitive trend and add some talent they believe gives them a better chance to make another run at a surprise postseason appearance.
Either way, one thing seems to be a popular belief amongst the fanbase: Oklahoma City could very well be active participants on the trade market over this next month of action.
The OKC Thunder could be active at this year’s trade deadline
Over the past several months, we at TI have been envisioning different routes the OKC Thunder could take in regard to trades that could help benefit their ball club.
From looking for sidekicks to bring on to partner with rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to deals to simply part ways with unwanted contracts, we at the site have seemingly covered a large amount of ground in terms where this franchise could go between now and March 25th.
Recently, Bleacher Report put out a piece discussing deals every NBA team could make this trade season, and, within the article, we saw the Thunder listed as partners on several occasions.
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 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 No. 1) George Hill heads to Atlanta
Seemingly since arriving in the Sooner State, veteran guard George Hill has been viewed as a flippable asset come mid-season.
The OKC Thunder, as you all are aware, are a team building for the future, while the 34-year-old is a player best served for a team looking to win now.
Viewed as a hot commodity amongst many front offices, as we approach the trade deadline, we at the site expect to see teams start to inquire about the availability of OKC’s point guard and, according to Dan Favale, the Atlanta Hawks could be one of those teams:
"He should be ready to return from right thumb surgery soon and provides a dose of shooting, backcourt defense and game managing—the latter of which is uber important. The Hawks offense falls off a cliff without Trae Young. A healthy Bogdanovic, Gallinari and Rondo should help the cause, but Atlanta clearly can’t count on their availability in concert. Hill can play with anyone in the backcourt, including Rondo or Young."
In return, Favale has the expiring contract of Tony Snell coming to Oklahoma City along with a first-round pick in this upcoming draft to add to their already illustrious treasure trove of assets.
All things considered, this move is a fantastic move for Presti to make and, if offered, it should strongly be considered.