A cautionary tale for the OKC Thunder and developing teams

Beware of the knee-jerk response of going all-in

Tim Connelly had recently been hired away from rival franchise Denver Nuggets based on his success there and the hope was he could help the Wolves develop into a perennial playoff team with designs on winning a championship.

Ownership and the front office elected to make ‘the big move’ that would catapult the Wolves into the upper echelon and decided what they were missing was a defensive stalwart. That led to a trade for three-time defensive player of the year – Rudy Gobert.

The cost seemed unprecedented as five players and five picks/swaps were exchanged for the French man. The first-round picks were the main focus (2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029) plus a 2026 pick swap but the Wolves’ 2022 draft pick Walker Kessler was also part of the package so it could be argued Minny gave up six first-round picks.

Additionally, five players were part of the deal which at the time was overlooked but looking at the areas where the Wolves are struggling this season clearly should’ve been given more thought.