Though all signs point to the OKC Thunder holding on to Chet Holmgren despite his abysmal Western Conference Finals performance, this hasn't stopped people from pondering what a return package for his services could hypothetically look like if he were to be dealt.
Recently, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report discussed the idea of using him as bait to snag the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft from the Washington Wizards.
His proposed trade reads as follows:
Thunder receive: No. 1 pick and Anthony Davis
Wizards receive: Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and No. 12 pick
According to recent reports, the Thunder are widely believed to be interested in moving up in this year's draft to land a top-tier selection. Needless to say, attaining the number one pick on the night would mean said mission has been accomplished.
However, when looking at this proposed exchange as a whole, it's painfully obvious that Oklahoma City would be adding far more questions than answers in return, which, for a win-now team, is far from an ideal scenario.
B/R trade proposal is far too risky for Thunder to seriously consider
In Buckley's mind, this move is primarily geared toward achieving two major goals for the Thunder: add a more valuable draft pick in this year's festivities and shed significant salary from their second-apron-bound payroll.
By bringing on the number one pick and, as he put it, using Anthony Davis "as a springboard to a separate trade that helps clean up the financial picture," this deal certainly could get the job done.
Of course, this is far from the only way for them to go about accomplishing said tasks.
In fact, it's genuinely one of the more complex roads they could possibly embark on.
As things currently stand, Oklahoma City has two first-round picks in this year's draft alone, along with a slew of others heading their way over the next decade.
In fact, the franchise has too many picks to use on its own, which has led to heavy speculation that Sam Presti and company will look to trade out quantity for higher value.
For rebuilding teams in the top eight, such as the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings, such a swap could prove incredibly enticing, thereby giving OKC a far less risky way to accomplish the "add a more valuable draft pick" task laid out by Buckley.
As for the objective of shedding salary, parting ways with Holmgren's soon-to-kick-in $250 million extension would easily do the job, but is it really worth coughing up his established All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive abilities to achieve?
Not to mention, he's still only 24 years old and has already proven capable of contributing to a championship run in his still incredibly young NBA tenure.
As a way to shed salary, the Thunder should instead look to either move on from or restructure the contracts of Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort, both of whom are attached to rather lofty team options next season. They could also look to make small, cost-cutting moves like trading away players like Aaron Wiggins and/or Isaiah Joe.
Perhaps the most dangerous part of all from this proposed blockbuster is that the Thunder would be seen giving up the 22-year-old Cason Wallace, who is strongly considered a rising star in this league and has the makings of becoming an elite two-way backcourt player, what with his recent All-Defensive selection and career 37.4 three-point shooting clip.
So, in the end, if Oklahoma City were to pursue such a trade, they essentially would be signing on to part with two championship-tested talents who are both young, surging studs in the association, along with their 12 overall pick in this year's draft, for a top prospect who will likely need time to develop at the pro-level and the hope of flipping the veteran Davis for more assets.
All things considered, this dynasty-pushing Thunder club should absolutely steer clear of such a red-flag trade scenario and stick with what they already know can lead them to the promised land.
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