With every passing day in this year's preseason, rookie big Aday Mara looks more like a legitimate NBA Draft steal after being snatched up 14 overall in June's festivities. In three games with the OKC Thunder, the Michigan product finds himself posting stellar averages of 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-best 2.7 blocks per night (minimum two games played).
While this absolute domination by the young pivot is certainly exciting to see for Thunder fans, personnel, and the vast majority of his teammates, for Thomas Sorber, it may very well be a worst-case scenario.
After missing his entire first season with a torn ACL, Sorber was already slated to face an uphill battle to come across consistent playing time, with guys like Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams all firmly ahead of him on the depth chart.
Now, with Mara's preseason eruption and the fact that he still hasn't played a single minute of action as a member of the Thunder, it seems the red-shirted rookie is more than likely entering the 2026-27 campaign fifth in the club's center pecking order.
Barring an unforeseen turn of events, this hierarchy shouldn't be expected to change much throughout the campaign.
Because of this, to help Sorber live up to his draft pedigree in the pros, the best thing for both him and the Thunder may be to part ways via trade.
The best thing for Thomas Sorber may be a trade out from Thunder
When the Thunder selected Sorber 15 overall in last year's NBA Draft, many believed the then-reigning champions had snagged themselves a serious game-changing prospect to help address their once pedestrian center depth.
During his lone season at Georgetown, Sorber earned himself a reputation as one of the best rim protectors and top overall big man prospects in his draft class.
Despite his rank among Thunder centers heading into this coming season, he's still only 20 years old and boasts an impressive combination of size (6-foot-9, 250 pounds), two-way skills, and athleticism; the allure that followed him into the pros should still very much be there.
Because of this, perhaps it may be in the best interest of both him and OKC to consider a trade, as it could lead to a much easier path for the youngster to come across significant playing time, thus allowing him to properly develop in the pros, while giving OKC either more future assets to add to their illustrious draft pick collection or possibly even a ready-made player in return to address another, weaker position like the wing.
Though it may be difficult to pull the trigger on such a hypothetical move, trading Sorber could be mutually beneficial if packaged into the right deal, especially given the Thunder's embarrassment of riches at the center spot as is.
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