OKC Thunder listed as having no “best trade chip”… in a good way

The OKC Thunder are simply in the best shape when it comes to being compared to other franchises currently in the midst of a rebuild.

Though they may have just finished off 2020-21 with the fourth-worst record in the association, it actually could prove to have been a beautiful disaster of a season, as they come into the offseason boasting the fourth-best odds of nabbing the No. 1 pick come the NBA Draft and a 52.5 percent chance of having their pick fall within the top-5.

On top of this, they’ll be finding themselves on the board twice during this upcoming draft (hold the rights to Houston’s, which is top-4 protected, and/ or Miami’s selections) and, through the year 2027, Oklahoma City will have a total of 34 picks to utilize for their rebuild.

Looking at their future possessions, it’s quite evident that Sam Presti and co. are in a fantastic position to take the long road back to respectability and, in turn, rebuild through the draft.

However, should they wish to bypass some of the heaving lifting when it comes to bringing on young players and developing them over time, it appears there’s also likely no better-positioned team to strike a blockbuster deal for just about any superstar in the NBA to have come to the Sooner State and partner up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

However, there are some who believe that, while the OKC Thunder could broker such a mega-deal, they likely shouldn’t and, instead, view their current assets as building blocks and developmental projects instead of trade assets.

This logic, in particular, is exactly why Bleacher Report writer, Dan Favale, went about and left OKC’s section blank in his recent article discussing every team’s best trade chips.

"The Thunder just started their rebuild. They have a not-insignificant chance of getting two top-five picks in the upcoming draft. Rushing to bolster the roster is a recipe to tread water in the middle. They are more than another top-15 player away from contention.Kicking the tires on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s value also doesn’t move their needle. Shelling out a max extension—for which he’s eligible this summer—so early into the reset is slightly awkward, but they have more long-term cap flexibility than they can reasonably expect to use. SGA is worth that cost of retention anyway.Jettisoning any of their other players won’t do the Thunder any favors, either. With the exception of Al Horford—who cannot be considered a net-positive trade asset at his price point—they are all ridiculously cheap and under team control. There’s little point turning them into picks when OKC already has all the picks."

While we at TI believe there are some players worth pursuing on the trade-block, typically they’re talents that can be had for a low cost.

B/R is more under the impression that the assets currently held by the OKC Thunder should remain intact moving forward. Frankly, it’s hard to argue with such logic.