At 37-9, the OKC Thunder have firmly established themselves as the NBA's biggest threat to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second-straight season here in 2025-26. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has all but locked up MVP honors a little over halfway through the season, and coach Mark Daigneault has successfully instilled a championship mindset in every player on the roster.
Through the first leg of the season, playoff contenders have battled through their shares of peaks and valleys, sparked by injury and inconsistent play. Many of whom are finding themselves desperate for game-changing talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant, two stars who have found themselves at the center of trade rumors over the past few months.
Lately, though, the two have been in the news for all the wrong reasons and have only served to give the Thunder more reason to rejoice.
Giannis, Ja making it tough on teams in need of stars to topple Thunder
A recent update posted by ESPN has raised concerns about the two players.
Giannis strained his calf Friday night, which will sideline him for at least a month, muddying the trade waters even further. Given the injury, he wouldn't even be available to play for any team that trades for him until at least three weeks after they make a move.
The fact that Antetokounmpo has made it clear that he loves Milwaukee and has no desire to request a trade has made the situation even more complicated.
Ja's situation is arguably more grim.
Morant has been in and out of the lineup this season and has played in less than half of Memphis' games so far. This has long been a pattern in his career, as he hasn't played in more than 63 games since his rookie season back in 2019-2020.
While the point guard possesses serious star power, the market for him has been extremely cold, as teams don't want a player with such unreliable availability.
Biggest Thunder threats are the ones who are suffering
The uninspiring trade market has only hurt some of the Thunder's toughest opponents. With one of the biggest names on the market, Trae Young, already moving to a non-contender, teams like the Nuggets, Lakers, and Timberwolves, who all seem to be one star away from legitimately competing, have slim pickings to choose from.
With the latest news, the options they do have are proving to be unreliable and too risky for any team to pull the trigger on.
That leaves the Thunder, who sit comfortably atop the league and have no real need to make a move at the deadline, as a near shoo-in to come out of the West unscathed. Four of the five teams behind them in the standings have all dealt with injuries to at least one of their stars at some point this season, and three of the four are still currently battling at least one major injury.
Unless another team can get healthy and make a move or two at the deadline, OKC may become the Western Conference Champion by default. A back-to-back title run feels all but inevitable at this point, and the teams behind them are scrambling for answers.