Despite some of their frustrating play of late, the Oklahoma City Thunder are still the one-seed in the Western Conference.
They possess a 34-7 record coupled with a dominant net rating. They also have the odds-on favorite for MVP on their roster. By all visible measures, this is not a team that should be desperately active on the trade market.
Yet there is always the possibility that their 3-point shooting, which has taken drastic swings this season, could ultimately prevent them from making another championship run. Trading for a consistent and reliable perimeter shooter could be a way to combat this.
If that proves to be their goal, however, their best option could already be exiting the market: Anfernee Simons of the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics' recent surge could leave the Thunder stuck at the trade deadline
After the injury to Jayson Tatum in last year's playoffs made it clear their window had temporarily closed, the Celtics braced for a down year in 2025-26. They dealt Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday for salary-clearing purposes, planning to let Jaylen Brown take the reigns in the meantime.
Contrary to expectation, Boston has surged to the third seed in the East. It doesn't look like they're slowing down anytime soon, either. They've won nine of their last 13 games and have the league's best offensive rating in that span.
This is bad news for any team that was interested in Simons, who is averaging 13.5 points and shooting over 40% from 3-point range on the season.
Trade rumors have circled around Simons since he was acquired by the Celtics in the Holiday trade. The one year and $27 million remaining on his contract made for prime hypothetical trade fodder.
For a team like the Thunder who have hefty financial commitments kicking in next season, Simons' contract might have been perfect. Especially if they could have incentivized the Celtics to throw in draft capital along with it. For context, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe's contracts would have been enough to bring Simons back.
Yet given their position in the standings, Boston now is unlikely to show any sort of urgency in moving on from the eighth-year guard.
There are limited options across the rest of the market for the Thunder. Unless the perfect trade target comes out of the woodwork, it's likely best for Oklahoma City to stand still at the trade deadline.
Simons, as a non-impactful defender, was an imperfect fit in the first place, but he might have presented a much-needed boost from beyond the arc. He is likely out of reach for the Thunder now.