With the OKC Thunder season set to tip off a month from tonight, fans are getting excited to see their favorite players again. Thunder Nation is prepared for another tanking season while analysts and experts are already proclaiming the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets will be the NBA Finalists.
That’s the thing about The NBA — it’s the most trendy league of all the major sports, and the emphasis on Super Teams has never been greater. While the Thunder will take a patient approach seeking to build their new super team to rival the Thunder U years many clubs will veer to the superteam trend.
That means many teams with two superstars will set their sights on adding a third or possibly fourth superstar to join that upper echelon of championship contenders. Even though the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns were the 2021 NBA Finalists many felt they achieved that designation due to circumstances. Factors such as the coronavirus pandemic, untimely injuries, and the truncated season all played a role and most believe 2021 was an outlier.
There is no question talent drives the league, but until a franchise demonstrates utilizing a more evenly balanced group of talents can consistently usurp those superteams this is the reality facing clubs wanting to hoist Larry O’B at season end.
Sam Presti possibly will be the executive to challenge that theory as he conveys up to 35 draft picks in the next six seasons and moves his club toward a positionless strategy. While that certainly feels like the next NBA trend on the horizon it will take time to formulate.
Entering the 2021-22 season there is a trio of superstars who are considered the most likely to be featured in the “next big trade”. Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers are at an impasse, with Daryl Morey demanding a king’s ransom for his star.
Bradley Beal returns to Washington having never got past the second round in his nine seasons. Perhaps the most intriguing situation is tied to Damian Lillard who is back for his tenth season with the Blazers. Chauncey Billups is the new head coach and will be tasked with trying to get Dame to his first NBA Finals or risk losing his superstar.
Why OKC Thunder would pass on Bleacher Report trade involving Wiggins
While that trio of talents and their teams will be under the microscope Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report dove into creating four new superteams. Hughes used at least three teams in every scenario and the OKC Thunder were featured in his first suggested trade.
Golden State is the first team Hughes earmarked to rebuild into a superteam. Karl-Anthony Towns is the superstar at the heart of this deal and his former teammate Andrew Wiggins is the second superstar in the deal.
Wiggins would be the main talent headed to the OKC Thunder along with two protected first-round (protected) draft picks (one from the Dubs and one from Minny). As with all deals, the Thunder would have to give up something to be involved and it’s an expensive piece — Luguentz Dort heads to Minnny in the deal while the Warriors get a heavily protected OKC second-round pick.
Deal specifics:
"Golden State Warriors Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, 2025 second-round pick (top-50-protected, via Thunder)Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Luguentz Dort, 2026 first-round pick (via Warriors, top-eight-protected)Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Andrew Wiggins, unprotected 2022 first-round pick (top-eight-protected, via Warriors), 2022 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via Timberwolves)"
Although this deal sure seems to be a cheap price to pay for a quality player of Wiggins ilk it would be removing the top defender from the Thunder. Besides, if the Thunder were going to get Wiggins wouldn’t we rather keep Dort so the three Canadians (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) could be together? After all, Raptors fans are calling the OKC Thunder Canada West now with just two Canadians on the club.
Those who’ve witnessed the Raptors on the road over the years (pre-pandemic) will be familiar with the horde of Canadians who attend Raptors road games and if SGA, Dort, and Wiggins were all playing for OKC they could expect to witness a similar following emerge.
Hughes does highlight the impact of losing Dort as significant…
"OKC also adds a lottery-protected first by sending Luguentz Dort to the Wolves, which sounds like an insufficient return for one of the league’s better young defenders. But when you consider the Thunder’s haul in its entirety—Dort and a future second that will never convey for Wiggins and two firsts—it’s a solid deal."
If the commentary on “the trio of Canadians” sounds like I’m downplaying the trade there is a strong rationale behind it. Dort is on one of the most economical deals for his talent. Along with Shai, they are the young leaders of the Thunder and although the goal is to rebuild into a contender it can’t come at the expense of losing all the culture built over a decade of excellence.
As it is, only SGA, Dort, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby. and Mike Muscala remains on the roster from two seasons ago. Of that quintet, it’s essential Presti retains the two Canadians to maintain the essence of what it means to be a Thunder player and teammate.
Look there is lots of young talent on the Thunder and if a deal like this presented itself Presti should consider it. But the VP should be able to offer a young asset the Wolves would appreciate or a youngster and a first-round pick (from a later year such as 2026 or 2027).
If Presti thought Lu Dort wasn’t like to re-sign in two summers or would be too costly to retain while he rebuilds the team perhaps he would see this differently. As it is the two draft picks seem exciting but as we consistently note here at Intentions a proven asset is always worth more than an unproven prospect.
Moreover, the pick from the Wolves doesn’t likely get conveyed since it’s lottery protected. Finally, how invested would Wiggins be in landing on another rebuilding team? The forward has two years remaining on his contract ($31.5M and $33.6M) which could equate to him bailing in the summer of 2023.
As the saying goes – if it sounds too good to be true — odds are it’s because it is!