OKC Thunder: The Dallas Mavericks could be realistic trade partner

Now with the All-Star game officially over with, the OKC Thunder and, frankly, the rest of the NBA, look to the second half of their 2020-21 season slate.

That said, during the early stages of this restart to the campaign, the league will have its sights set on one more major event on the schedule — the March 25th trade deadline.

While the consensus belief is that this year’s trade season will be relatively quiet, many are under the impression that Sam Presti and Oklahoma City are bound to be busy, as they are a rebuilding team that is overachieving to this point and could benefit from shopping some of their impactful veteran assets in exchange for more valuable commodities to help them down the road.

The two Thunder players that we most often find connected to the trade circuit are George Hill and Al Horford, both of whom were acquired this past offseason during the team’s wheeling and dealing frenzy.

On the season, both of these veterans are producing admirably, with Hill putting up 11.8 points and 3.1 assists on 39 percent shooting from deep while Horford is stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and just shy of a block on 36 percent shooting from deep.

The OKC Thunder will have plenty of suitable trade partners to pick from

Looking around the league, there are a plethora of different teams that we at TI believe could be optimal trade partners for the OKC Thunder to consider doing business with. However, one of the more realistic teams that could pursue Presti for a trade is the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite having All-Star starter Luka Doncic and the unicorn himself in Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavs have struggled to find wins throughout the first half of this year’s campaign.

At 18-16, Dallas finds itself placed in the eighth seed out in the highly competitive Western Conference standings. Though they have some high-profile names and talent in tow, this championship-aspiring team has plenty of weak spots within the rotation that could use some bolstering.

Ranking 18th in points, 24th in rebounds, 25th in 3-point percentage, 26th in assists, and 24th in defensive rating, Mark Cuban’s squad seems to be desperate for players who can provide a multitude of different attributes within a rotation.

Guys like Hill and Horford — who has already been seen linked to the franchise — would be able to aid in Dallas’s quest to improve in all of these specific areas, while also serving as veteran leaders for this underperforming youthful team.

They may not have the highly-coveted draft picks available that many wish to be acquired in a trade for either one of these players, but the team does have some underused young talents that could be of some use for OKC’s current youth movement.

Be on the lookout for posts by us discussing potential deals that the Thunder should consider pursuing with the Dallas Mavericks between now and the March 25th deadline.