As currently constructed, the OKC Thunder are viewed as the favorite to win the 2025 NBA Finals, and for good reason.
From their stellar collection of talent headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren and filled out by arguably the deepest rotation in the league to their storied two-way brand of play with an elite net rating of 12.4, this ball club has the making of being considered one of the greatest teams assembled should their upcoming playoff run go their way.
Yet, despite their enviable situation, for months now there has been regular chatter among fans and pundits regarding how Sam Presti and company can make Oklahoma City even better.
With ideas ranging from snatching up draft day steals in this June's festivities to striking on a splashy acquisition for an already established pro-baller, there have been many hypothetical courses of action discussed.
Easily the biggest name that has been linked as a possible earth-shattering addition to this roster is Kevin Durant, who a surprising number of people see as a potential trade target the front office could look to pursue come the offseason.
Though the idea of this oft-coy Thunder franchise executing such a monstrous transaction seems quite outlandish and, frankly, rooted in sheer fantasy, in the event that they ever were to consider chasing after a superstar dream target, the recent reports of turmoil coming out of Denver may be reason enough to set their sights on gunning for Nikola Jokic instead.
Nikola Jokic should be dream trade target for Thunder, not Kevin Durant
Right off the bat, it's imperative to note that no sane Thunder fan should be holding their breath for a potential offseason blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant, let alone one centered around Nikola Jokic.
However, if people are actively fantasizing about the Thunder going all-out for an all-time great, wouldn't the ideal dream be the in his prime, three-time MVP center?
Amid his 10 season in the association, Jokic is having arguably his best year to date, as he's stuffing the stat sheet with 29.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting an incredibly efficient 57.5 percent from the field and 41.4 percent shooting from distance.
Led by his all-around dominance, Denver is locked in to participate in their seventh-straight postseason and could even finish with a top-three seed in the Western Conference standings.
Of course, despite this clearly successful tenure, the recent turmoil pertaining to the franchise has now created speculation about whether the big man's days in the Mile High City City are numbered, with Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports even proposing the argument that Jokic should consider requesting a trade following the conclusion of this season.
In the event that Jokic actually follows through with such a proposed idea, it's hard to believe that all 29 other teams in the league won't inquire about his services.
Now, rightly so, the Nuggets' asking price on the trade market would be exorbitantly high and, in turn, would automatically write off more than half of the teams in the association as being considered realistic landing spots.
Considering their treasure trove of draft capital and recently selected first-round talents, the Thunder would undoubtedly survive this proverbial reaping and would more than likely be in the driver's seat toward meeting Denver's trade demands.
Somewhere in the ballpark of five future first-round draft picks could easily be included in such negotiations, while Isaiah Hartenstein's contract would more than likely need to be added for salary-matching purposes.
Then, it should also be assumed that any combination of Cason Wallace, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Topic, and salary-fillers would need to be added into the mix just to make things remotely feasible.
While trading for Jokic would require a ridiculously lavish package to be shipped outbound, the idea of pairing him with fellow MVP candidate and superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with All-Star forward Jalen Williams and the rising stud big Chet Holmgren, could be enough (at least in some people's eyes) to match the presumably high price tag.
Again, as mentioned earlier, no fan should realistically be expecting the Thunder to pursue a Nikola Jokic trade this coming summer. Frankly, at this point, no one should be expecting the all-world center to be on the move anytime soon.
However, if people are already dreaming about a Kevin Durant reunion, especially with the recent drama coming out of Denver, why wouldn't they consider raising the stakes by setting their sights a little higher with this banana-land trade chatter?