With the All-Star break officially underway, the OKC Thunder and, frankly, the rest of the NBA will look to instill their specific strategy for the upcoming final stretch of trade season.
While no one really expects them to be buyers, with the expendable veteran contracts Oklahoma City has at their disposal, it is a logical assumption that they’ll be quite busy between now and the March 25th deadline whilst playing the role of “sellers.”
One of the most highly sought-after players on the team’s roster is George Hill who, according to Shams Charania, is a ‘hot commodity’ amongst playoff-bound ball clubs.
There are a few teams the OKC Thunder should pursue a George Hill trade with
While the veteran point guard has found himself linked to several different teams over the past few months, we here at Thunderous Intentions believe there to be a few in specific in which the OKC Thunder should pursue a deal with over others.
Today, we present to you the 3 teams Sam Presti and co. should strongly consider partnering with in a potential Hill deal:
OKC Thunder trade partner No. 1) Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have been a team recently linked as being possible suitors for the 34-year-old, with our own sister site, The Sixers Sense, discussing why he’d be a good grab for the franchise:
"A savvy veteran who has contributed to contenders very recently, Hill can efficiently facilitate the offense while also playing off-ball next to heliocentric stars. Most recently, Hill has effectively paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee and LeBron James in Cleveland. He is averaging 11.8 points and 3.1 assists on .508/.386/.840 shooting splits."
This team is in a “win now” mode, what with the likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris all being on the roster while also having Doc Rivers holding the clipboard.
While this team has proven to be a force to be reckoned with through this first half of the season, we’ve seen this same impressive regular season play in the past. In turn, unfortunately, it has never followed up with much postseason success.
A guy like Hill could be seen as a valuable addition for a team with such high aspirations, as he would come in with ample playoff experience (127 games played) and would add an extra playmaker to the roster.
If it means strengthening their roster for a deep postseason run, coughing up a late first-round pick doesn’t seem to be out of the realm of possibility, especially when considering how their competitors in the east are currently looking to strengthen their roster’s depth as we begin this second-half run.
OKC Thunder trade partner No. 2) New York Knicks
Finally after nearly two full decades of mediocrity, it appears the New York Knicks are finaly figuring things out.
Boasting their best first half record since the 2012-13 season, the Knicksbockers are a team looking to snap their current playoff draught at seven years. As things currently stand, they are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19-18 and have won five of their last seven outings leading into All-Star weekend.
Now, as they look to gear up on their second-half push, they stare at a more riggerous road than they faced during their first 37 games, seeing four of their first six outings coming against the top 3 seeds in the east.
Having a couple of players in tow that are often found as DNPs, it would be wise of Scott Perry and co. to look to flip such individuals for someone like, say, Hill who could provide leadership for this young team as well as a highly desierable 3-and-D skill set within the rotation as they embark on such a rough second half.
A major reason why we believe it would be wise of the OKC Thunder to pursue a deal with the Knicks would be to try and acquire Kevin Knox who, though he may not have lived up to expectations that followed him into the league, is still just 21-years-old, was a highly touted collegiete player (selected ninth overall in 2018), and has a personal connection with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
OKC Thunder trade partner No. 3) Boston Celtics
Lastly, we see perhaps the team most often linked as a potential suitor for the veteran floor general, the Boston Celtics.
It’s no secret that the shamrocks are an unbelievably dissapointing team through the first half of the season and, in turn, are looking for ways to improve their roster.
Though he may not be that star player GM Danny Ainge highly covets, George Hill could provide many different attributes such as floor spacing, defense, and play making abilities that is sorely lacking on the C’s current roster outside of their stars in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker.
According to some publications such as Bleacher Report, a guy like Hill could be argued to be the “ideal trade target” for Boston:
"The veteran guard has more than 100 career playoff appearances on his resume, plus a low-maintenance style built around spot-up sniping, secondary playmaking and rugged defense that fits into almost any five-player puzzle. He could land in Boston and immediately provide insurance behind Kemba Walker while scratching itches for additional scoring and spacing help. He’s leading a fish-out-of-water existence with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the moment, but the Celtics should be able to fix that with future draft picks or a prospect like Romeo Langford or Robert Williams III."
With these claims, we’ve seen many different hypothetical trade proposals concocted, a few of which have been absolute bargain deals for the rebuilding OKC Thunder that involves the likes of youngsters such as Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford coming to the Sooner State.
If either one of these afeormentioned players were to actually be on the table in a Hill deal, Sam Presti should jump at such an opportunity. Perhaps if their struggles continue between now and the March 25th deadline, this possibility could become that much greater.