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OKC Thunder: 3 burning questions heading into second half of season

By Mark Nilon

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Al Horford #42, Darius Bazley #7, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Luguentz Dort #5 and George Hill #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look on against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena on January 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Al Horford #42, Darius Bazley #7, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Luguentz Dort #5 and George Hill #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look on against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena on January 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
OKC Thunder Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

OKC Thunder question No. 2) What will the trade deadline look like?

A part of the expectation for the OKC Thunder to tank this season revolved around the concept of the front office dealing off some of the team’s veteran players for more desirable long-term assets.

However, to this point, a big part of their success — aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s emergence as the franchise leader — has been the play of said veterans.

Both Al Horford and George Hill have contributed in big ways to this Oklahoma City squad this season.

For Hill, he’s continued his floor spacing excellence into this year’s campaign, posting solid averages of 11.8 points on 39 percent shooting from deep.

Horford has found himself manning the middle for the Thunder and is averaging 14 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and just shy of a block on 44 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep.

With this, both players have gone about and uped their value considerably and, in turn, have become trade assets many teams could find themselves inquiring about at this year’s deadline.

The question for the OKC Thunder is, what will they want in return?

If they wish to still find themselves competing in the now, perhaps looking for trades with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks could be on the table, as both teams have players that could come back in return to fit the timeline of this team better while also logging minutes along the way.

If they’d rather add more picks, then perhaps the Philadelphia 76ers would be a team to target.

Another route they could even choose to take could be to trade away some draft picks to nab themselves a promising young player with one of the three traded player exceptions — guys like Lauri Markkanen and, most recently, John Collins have been suggested.

It’s a widely understood concept that Oklahoma City will be a name heard often during this final stretch of the 2021 trade season.

The question is, however, what will they prioritize in regard to a return package?

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