OKC Thunder: Pros and Cons of trading for John Collins

Conclusion

Both sides of the equation have merit and ultimately it comes down to a few simple questions:

1. Is tanking long-term (read: a minimum of three seasons) the primary preference of the Thunder?
2. How long will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander be willing to buy-in to losing?
3. (following up on ^^) If OKC doesn’t invest in a ‘proven NBA talent’ will that adversely affect the Thunder-SGA relationship?
4. How much does Collins deter from the tanking timeline?
5. Can Sam Presti emulate clubs like the Heat, Jazz, Mavericks, Celtics, and Raptors who’ve developed talent, consistently improved, and in some cases utilized their draft picks to be both competitive while landing top draft prospects?

At 23, the timeline fits with Collins and for those who worry it will make the OKC Thunder too good, too soon there are two factors to consider.

First, the overwhelming belief is Al Horford will be traded if not at the deadline then presumably at some point before next season’s trade deadline. Collins is a power forward but at 6’9″ he’s an inch taller than Roby. As the Thunder embraces the positionless strategy it’s sort of a moot point.

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Second, for those who worry Collins raises the Thunder in the standings, I’d point you to the last game where four starters (five if you count both Maledon and George Hill) were out. OKC still won that game.

While Mark Daigneault will do his best to affect some games via starting lineups and rotations the bottom line is this franchise has an ingrained culture of being competitive and winning. Sam Presti can’t make (or not make) moves with the goal of tanking or being ‘less than’. That would be a dangerous decision as witnessed by a number of young teams who are striving to build a culture.

Ultimately, John Collins is the type of existing young talent Sam Presti should be inquiring about. If the reports are accurate the Hawks want to make the move at the deadline. That may preclude the option for the Thunder especially if they elect to wait on moving Horford.

Consider for a second a Thunder frontcourt featuring Collins, Bazley, and Aleksej Pokusevsi. Then dream a little of adding a talent like Cade Cunningham. Suddenly, the Thunder have a myriad of options with the potential of SGA, Cunningham, and keeping Luguentz Dort in the starting rotation with Maledon and POKU running your reserve lineup!

In an ideal world the Thunder land two of the top five picks in the 2021 draft and add John Collins. In that scenario, OKC could vault upward and still have tons of money to either elect to bolster the roster in free agency or via trades. Or- roll the dice see what happens with a predominantly young roster for the next few seasons and upgrade with vets when the time is right.

Bottom line, quality proven assets don’t grow on trees and if the Thunder can add one of Collins’ ilk and do so via one of the vets they want to move anyway plus a few ‘selective’ draft picks it’s a move you make.