The NBA Playoffs are entering arguably their most exciting point with the conference finals officially set. Following their Game 7 win on Sunday afternoon, the OKC Thunder have now become the fourth and final club to punch their ticket to round three, and are slated to square off against the Minnesota Timberwolves this Tuesday for their series opener.
Yet, despite all of this postseason excitement, it appears that a large chunk of attention from both fans and pundits is being directed away from the currently active ball clubs and, instead, toward one that's been eliminated for nearly three weeks.
Since their ouster in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks have been the center of serious rumors and league-wide rumblings, the majority of which have dealt with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and the possibility of him requesting a trade after a third-straight round one exit.
Though merely speculation at this time, a hot-topic discussion has been that if the Bucks were to wind up shopping their two-time MVP, the game plan would likely be to reach out to teams strewn across the league with the most assets available at their disposal.
And while many have penciled the Thunder in as perhaps the most coveted of trade partners for Milwaukee in this hypothetical scenario, following their commanding series-clinching win on Sunday, it now appears less likely than ever that they'd be willing to partake in such a monstrous exchange.
Thunder core may be more secure than ever following Game 7 win
It goes without saying that any trade involving Giannis would require a ton of valuable pieces being shipped out to Milwaukee in return, both to entice GM Jon Horst and, simply, to make finances work.
Because of this, it should surprise no one that the Thunder are viewed as having the potential to put together one of the best packages the Bucks could possibly dream of receiving.
From offers revolving around multiple of their 15 first-round picks over the next seven years, coupled with young studs like Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren, to far more nauseating proposals involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the internet has already seen every fantasy trade combination imaginable.
While such chatter was already being largely perceived as wishful thinking, with Oklahoma City officially clinching their first conference finals berth in nearly a decade, it's rather hard to believe that they'd be inclined to break up a sizeable chunk of this core anytime soon, even for a megastar like the Greek Freak.
Even during years past when their success levels were nowhere near as high, storied executive Sam Presti had gone on record preaching patience and an overall desire to, as he put it, "finish our breakfast."
Now, just four wins away from an NBA Finals berth, the odds of this already trade timid front office pursuing a blockbuster for the nine-time All-Star should be at or at the very least near an all-time low.