When it comes to this OKC Thunder team, it's hard not to talk about just how close to perfect they are as an on-court collective. In fact, from their elite defensive prowess to their seamless plug-and-play rotational approach, Oklahoma City seems on pace to become even better than they were during their historic 2025 title run.
However, even with this objective truth, the long-range shooting woes that plagued them throughout their playoff excursion seem to have followed them into 2025-26, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes a trade for veteran Grayson Allen could effectively address this particular weakness.
Grayson Allen trade pegged as worthwhile option for Thunder
When it comes to any hypothetical trade discussions involving this Thunder team, it appears that the precursor acknowledgment that identifying needs, or even wants, for this ball club from a talent standpoint is hard to find always gets brought up.
This piece is no different.
However, Buckley's assessment on adding more capable shooters to their arsenal seems to carry some seriously sound logic. After all, they did only shoot a middling 33.8 percent from deep during the 2025 postseason and are splashing home on just 34.4 percent of such attempts this year.
Because of this, adding a career 41.6 percent three-point shooter to their arsenal is believed to be a decision the Thunder could find themselves considering if the deadline were today.
Not only this, but the exchange that Buckley is proposing that ships Nikola Topic and Kenrich Williams out to Phoenix would also see Oklahoma City net the rights to yet another first-round pick for the 2027 draft.
Frankly, from a completely objective standpoint, this could prove to be a major win for Sam Presti and company as they look to push for a repeat title bid this season.
We're talking about the top-ranked Thunder adding on a guy in Allen, who, now in year eight, is dropping career-best averages of 18.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per night while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 44.7 percent from deep, as well as another future first all for two players who have yet to even step foot on the hardwood this year.
Of course, as history suggests, Oklahoma City will most likely shy away from making any in-season transactions, especially ones involving Topic, out of respect for him while he receives treatment for testicular cancer.
With that said, if Allen were to even remotely pique the interest of this Thunder front office, considering his isolation and off-the-catch perimeter scoring abilities, there's clearly a strong case to be made that he could be an ideal get for the ball club.