OKC Thunder: N.A.N proposes trade for Golden State’s James Wiseman

The OKC Thunder will undoubtedly be spending ample time and effort on trying to find a way to offload Al Horford‘s contract this coming offseason.

Despite his solid all-around play for the franchise in 2020-21, posting averages of14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep in 28 starts, the two years remaining on his $109 million contract make things a bit challenging when it comes to even an interested team making the money work.

For months now, we at TI have been thinking up potential landing spots and even trade packages that Sam Presti and co. could realistically pursue this offseason to ultimately part ways with the 34-year-old big and, recently, NBA Analysis Network’s, Michael Balko, has hopped on board with one of our proposed trade partners.

N.A.N proposes trade that would send OKC Thunder center, Al Horford, to Dubs

In a piece we penned a few weeks ago, we discussed the Golden State Warriors being a team that could find themselves interested in striking a deal with the OKC Thunder in exchange for Horford, and cited their win-now core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson (assuming he’ll be healthy), and Draymond Green coupled with their rapidly-closing title-window as reasons to bite on a deal:

"This Warriors core is certainly not getting any younger, which means their championship window is beginning to look smaller and smaller as the years go by. Making “win now” moves will be key to keeping guys like Steph, Draymond, and Klay (when he hopefully returns next season) happy, and a trade for the OKC Thunder big could be right in line with such a mindset.With ample experience on his resume, high-class leadership, and a skill set that perfectly fits the team’s style of play, Horford could be a great grab for a Golden State team looking for more veteran help and an improvement in talent down at the pivot."

N.A.N’s Balko seems to be under the same belief as us, and went on to concoct a trade package involving the center, along with two key role players and a first-round pick, heading out of the Sooner State in exchange for the second-overall pick in last year’s draft,  James Wiseman, and the first-overall pick in the 2014 draft, Andrew Wiggins.

The exact details of the deal read as follows:

Unlike some of their other hypothetical trade scenarios involving the OKC Thunder, this actually seems to be somewhat in the realm of possibility for the franchise.

As previously stated, the prospects of trading Horford seem a bit complicated, as his contract makes matching money quite difficult for almost every potential buyer.

That said, with the Warriors having Wiggins and his $147 million deal at their disposal, a swap doesn’t appear as though it would be too hard to concoct for the franchise.

Obviously, the main draw for Oklahoma City is Wiseman, who, in Balko’s opinion, fits both the team’s desire for a youth movement as well as their need for a potential long-term answer at the pivot.

Now, obviously, the concept of losing Luguentz Dort and Theo Maledon (but, especially Dort) is certainly not desirable from both the fan’s and front office’s standpoint. However, in order to rid themselves of the remaining years of Horford’s deal, Presti must be willing to give some sweeteners away in the process.

Perhaps the Thunder would look to substitute their beloved second-year wing out with someone or something (more draft capital?!) else, but from a completely objective standpoint, this proposed deal is close to a solid start when it comes to potential offseason Al Horford trades.