OKC Thunder: HoopsHype suggests John Collins as trade target

With the OKC Thunder currently on hiatus with the All-Star break, the players are getting much-needed time to reset and recharge. OKC returns to the court Thursday, March 11th as they resume the season hosting the Dallas Mavericks.

Sam Presti and his front office staff probably spent the break prepping for the rapidly approaching March 25th trade deadline. The executive was likely fielding calls from opposing teams and reaching out to gauge interest in team assets.

At the top of the list is veteran point guard George Hill who got out to a strong start with OKC prior to a thumb injury that caused him to miss the last 21 games. He should be available after the break, just in time to remind potential suitors of his value.

Al Horford has channeled Chris Paul in a resurgent season reminding the league of his capabilities. The tricky part of doing a deal for Horford is his contract runs through the next two seasons ($27 in 2021-22 and $26.5 in 2022-23). Fortunately, that also means the Thunder are in no rush to jettison Horford and could revisit those options in the offseason or even bring him back next season and move him at the next trade deadline.

HoopsHype suggests aggressive OKC Thunder deadline with consideration of young assets specifically citing John Collins

While other trade options will also be examined the other very real opportunity is to use some of the draft capital to target a young asset now. Although many in the fan base would prefer to hold off on this strategy that may not be feasible. The OKC Thunder play through the first half already is hinting at how hard it is to tank when you’re a team built on the premise of defense, competing, and possessing a strong internal culture.

Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype broke down each team’s trade deadline strategy in terms of who could be moved, targeted, and what approach they should take.

"They have enough draft equity to acquire a foundational player. For example, they could easily meet Atlanta’s demands for John Collins and, if they want him, could make the best offer on the market with multiple future first-round picks. While it’s arguably too early for the Thunder to make a consolidation trade like that, they also can’t possibly keep and make a selection with every single draft pick they’re owed. If they could turn some of those picks into a great player they covet who is very young, they should consider it."

Gozlan’s suggestion of targeting John Collins isn’t a new concept. Intentions made this same suggestion almost a month ago for precisely the same player.

At the time this wasn’t necessarily embraced by the majority of the fanbase. In fairness, it’s understandable why Thunder Nation doesn’t want to see all those draft picks head out the door after what the franchise lost in the process of amassing them.

To be clear, I’m not now nor will I ever suggest the Thunder give up the top draft picks Presti garnered particularly in the next two or three draft classes that are all projected to be deep classes filled with talents. The one exception to that rule would be landing a generational talent that would immediately push the Thunder into title contention. We’re talking players of the ilk of Luka Doncic — which isn’t a likely situation.

The other clarification that needs to be made here is the Thunder own multiple picks in several coming seasons and any trade they make can stipulate which picks they send out. That means OKC could make a trade but control which picks they keep versus give up (read: keep the highest pick for themselves).

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Sam Presti has proven himself to be adept at selecting top talents in the draft. Moreover, this season has proven the OKC Thunder have an identity that doesn’t allow them easily tank so as talents are added presumably they’ll become even more competitive.

A glance around the league serves as evidence of how difficult it can be to rise up the ladder. The Sacramento Kings are likely to miss their 15th consecutive postseason.

The Atlanta Hawks were the most aggressive franchise this past offseason. However, they have underachieved due to a combination of injuries, internal chemistry issues, missing culture, and perhaps just plain bad luck.

The Hawks begin the second half sporting a 16-20 record for a 44.4 win percent, and are seeded 11th in the East. The OKC Thunder finished the season with a 15-21 record (41.7 win percent) and are tied with the Pelicans for the 11th seed in the more difficult Western Conference.

Sure, the Thunder are overachieving but their performance and culture serve as a reminder that as hard as OKC tries they may not be able to simply tank to land the top draft picks over the next few years.

That’s why Sam Presti needs to approach this trade deadline, the draft, and offseason with an open mind including being open to adding young proven assets.