Over these past few days, several direct rivals of the OKC Thunder have executed some otherworldly splashy win-now trades to help better their odds of contention in the now and for the years to come.
On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks executed a blockbuster swap of Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. Sunday, the Sacramento Kings opted to ship De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs to pair him with Victor Wembanyama.
Most recently, on Wednesday evening, the Warriors struck a deal with the Heat for estranged star forward Jimmy Butler.
And yet, despite the roster-bolstering moves by these conference foes, Oklahoma City ironically finds itself in a position to be positively impacted by a number of the exchanges made.
The latest trade between Miami and Golden State, in particular, may even create a potential opportunity for Sam Presti and company to address one of their biggest rotational needs.
Thunder must monitor Dennis Schroder after Jimmy Butler trade
Among the many assets the Dubs coughed up in the exchange was veteran guard Dennis Schroder, who was shipped out to the Utah Jazz as part of the four-team deal.
Considering Utah currently boasts the second-worst record in the entire league at 11-38 and is clearly amid a full-fledged rebuild, the ball club keeping the 31-year-old and his expiring contract for the remainder of the year seems rather unlikely.
Because of this, Schroder will likely be a top name to watch heading into the post-deadline buyout era of the season and OKC should strongly consider pursuing his services if he becomes available.
A former member of the Thunder who played some of the best basketball of his career during his two years in the Sooner State (2018 to 2020), now in his 12 season in the association the veteran is still serving as a quality spark-plug talent who can generate his own offense with his lightning quickness and clean shooting stroke, set up teammates for open looks, and serve as a trusty ball handler.
In other words, he continues to provide everything Oklahoma City desperately needs more of within their rotation.
While splitting time with both the Brooklyn Nets and Warriors, through 47 games played in 2024-25 the point guard finds himself dropping solid averages of 14.4 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 35.8 percent from distance.
The Thunder bench ranks just 19th in points per game, while the team as a whole sees its offensive rating drop from 120.7 with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor (second-best in the NBA) to a putrid 104.3 with him off it. Bringing on someone like Dennis Schroder, who can create for himself and others, could be a highly strategic move.
At the very least, it would alleviate some of the stress resting upon SGA's shoulders, as he's essentially the only reliable offensive initiator Oklahoma City currently has within their backcourt.
Now, is Schroder the same player he was five years ago when he averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 rebounds on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor and 38.5 percent shooting from deep while finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year race? Based on both the eye test and on-paper metrics, no.
However, perhaps heading back to where he was producing at such high levels could have something of a D'Angelo Russell returning to the Nets-esque effect on his level of play and confidence.
On a minimum-scale salary, taking a swing at a reunion with Dennis Schroder could very well be worth it for OKC.