The Oklahoma City Thunder have absolutely no obligations to be NBA trade season participants. They won a title last season and have since improved both their winning percentage and point differential. Their roster is stacked in such a way that they can choose to sit out the (seemingly inevitable) Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, and no one second-guesses it.
Do they have absolutely everything they need to defend their crown, though? The Ringer's Bill Simmons isn't quite sure. After watching OKC fall to the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas—the Thunder's third loss to their budding rivals in 12 days—Simmons wondered aloud whether the Thunder might try targeting a more consistent shooter to fill some of the perimeter minutes going to Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace.
Oklahoma City probably looks for internal answers first.
As Simmons admitted himself, a major midseason shake-up would be quite a mold-breaker for executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti. Plus, it's just hard to pretend that a team winning better than 85 percent of its games has nagging needs requiring significant corrections.
And the Thunder already have alternatives at their disposal.
Isaiah Joe is a three-point marskman who's already built an argument for more playing time on his own. Aaron Wiggins is another sharpshooter who can handle spacing duties without sacrificing too much on the defensive end.
Ajay Mitchell can add a curveball, too. While his three-ball comes and goes, he's a skilled enough creator for himself and his teammates to entrust him with far more than catch-and-shoot chances. If OKC isn't converting its spot-up chances, it could always try calling upon someone who can generate different ways to score.
And if all of that doesn't work, the Thunder will always have the assets needed to dominate the trade market.
Oklahoma City can always revisit the trade market if needed.
If more huge-name, huge-dollar stars hit the market, the Thunder will probably never get involved in their pursuits. They've already bought big into this core, and they've clearly found a winning formula with it.
The right high-end support piece shaking loose could be interesting, though. Simmons mentioned New Orleans Pelicans swingman Trey Murphy III as someone "they would have to really think about," and maybe he's the kind of player who could convince them to rethink their deadline stance.
He's a long, lights-out shooter with explosive athleticism and all of they physical tools needed to thrive as a defensive disruptor. He's also just 25 years old and signed through the 2028-29 season, which feels super important, because if the Thunder do wind up making a significant splash, they'll likely look for someone who can stay with and grow alongside this core.
That said, that feels like a backup plan for a team having tremendous success with its primary objective. It's a fun concept in theory, but it might not be anything this club ever seriously considers putting into practice. If the Thunder feel like they have a championship plan in place, it'd be difficult to doubt them.