After Chet Holmgren’s brutal showing against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, there was plenty of discourse about whether or not the Oklahoma City Thunder should trade him. However, that has been distracting the Thunder from the real trade dilemma: Whether or not they should trade Jalen Williams.
Williams has been great for OKC. He’s an All-Star. But this past year, health issues really got in the way of his ability to help the team, especially by the end of the postseason. And if the Thunder really want to cut money, trading Williams would help them do that while also getting a great package back in return.
In reality, the Thunder shouldn’t trade either of their two co-stars. But if they were going to trade one, it should be Williams instead of Holmgren.
Jalen Williams should be Thunder trade option, not Chet Holmgren
Holmgren may have struggled on the offensive end in the postseason, but in reality, he’s not really an elite offensive player in general. OKC was just hurt, and he didn’t step up.
Williams was out, and he’s a huge source of offense for the Thunder. But so was Ajay Mitchell, who could blossom into an even bigger star next season.
Again, the Thunder should not trade Holmgren or Williams. One playoff loss shouldn’t spark that big of a change. But if they do feel like they need to trade a huge contract, then Williams should be the guy to go.
First and foremost, the injury concerns are there. Perhaps this will be a one-season issue, but it’s still something to consider, especially if OKC feels like the problems could linger.
But more importantly, the Thunder have better depth at the guard position than at the center position. Losing Williams wouldn’t be as drastic as losing Holmgren’s defense.
If OKC traded Holmgren, they would be left with Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. Fine, but not great. Trading Williams would allow the Thunder to elevate the roles of other great guards.
Guys like Mitchell and Cason Wallace could take on more significant roles. Alex Caruso could play more minutes. Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would still be in place.
They just have a better infrastructure to support trading Williams rather than Holmgren. Mitchell and Wallace may actually end up blossoming even more than they already could.
Neither player should be traded, but all the Holmgren discourse has distracted from the fact that, if they were to trade one, it should be Williams.
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