OKC Thunder begin week nine facing the Pelicans

After a busy four-game week the OKC Thunder will play only two matches this week with the first occurring tonight versus the New Orleans Pelicans.

The second will take place Saturday when the Thunder finishes the four-game homestand hosting the LA Clippers.

Last week was a mixed bag of highs and lows. After the debacle of the 73 point differential loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rookie Josh Giddey returned to the hardwood to lead the Thunder to consecutive wins versus the Pelicans and Raptors.

Those matches were followed by back-to-back losses versus the Lakers and Mavericks. It was expected LeBron James wasn’t about to let his squad lose three games in a row to the Thunder. But, the loss to the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks was a bit tough to digest.

Keeping in mind the Thunder is tanking fans like the players have to remember not to get too high or too low about losses.

OKC Thunder begin week nine facing the Pelicans

Today also marks an important date for the NBA as players who were traded this offseason are now eligible to be dealt. That opens up numerous options for teams and more specifically in situations like the impasse in Philly with Ben Simmons.

While the Thunder aren’t looking to upgrade the roster for a playoff run they could be used as a third team to help expedite a trade. Or Sam Presti might hear of a young asset he’d be keen to add to the future core.

Conversely, the Pelicans may well be active because they’re desirous of playing in the post-season. Granted, the news Zion Williamson suffered another setback in his recovery could change the dynamics for New Orleans.

GM David Griffin has an interesting path to navigate. On one hand, they need to show Williamson they are improving the Pelicans. However, with the young star now missing more games than he’s played you have to wonder if the front office is keen to add players to build around Zion when he’s yet to prove he can stay healthy for an entire campaign.

Recalling the year of Kevin Durant’s draft let’s not forget the player selected ahead of him was Greg Oden. Similar to Williamson, Oden struggled to stay on the hardwood. Sure, his situation and injuries were much worse, but it’s a cautionary tale of how big men can suffer and have a harder time getting healthy.

One way or another the Pelicans are bound to be involved in deals between now and the trade deadline. The question is will they pursue adding talent or breaking up the band?

For now, we focus on the match tonight between the Pelicans and the Thunder.