Recent breakout by former Thunder may raise trade value of Ousmane Dieng

The OKC Thunder may be a team headlined by the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, but they are far more than just three players.

From one down to 15, high-end talent can be found strewn across coach Mark Daigneault's roster, even if their abilities have not yet been fully realized.

Take someone like Ousmane Dieng, for example.

Though the 21-year-old has frequently found himself revolving in and out of the G League since arriving in Oklahoma City, through these early stages of the 2024-25 campaign he's played a crucial role as a reserve big within the team's rotation with guys like Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and Kenrich Williams all sidelined due to injuries.

From his positional switchability thanks to his enviable 6-foot-10 frame to his seemingly boosted confidence out on the perimeter, while logging 14.0 minutes a night Dieng has put forth solid on-court efforts. Of course, despite this, he has failed to have said efforts translate to flashy box score metrics, as he's averaging just 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and just shy of a block per game.

Now, with the looming return of all three of I-Hart, J-Will, and Kenny Hustle, Dieng seems destined to return to an end-of-bench role with the team, with the possibility of him even heading back to the development league to continue honing his craft.

Because of this, fans have begun debating whether now may be a good time to consider shopping their former first-round selection, and, should Sam Presti and company opt to do so, on top of his improved effectiveness, interestingly enough a recent showing from an ex-Thunder player could raise the intrigue rival clubs may have in attaining his services.

Lindy Waters' breakout could up stock of Thunder's Ousmane Dieng

Tuesday night, former Thunder wing Lindy Waters III took part in a career performance with the Warriors, one where he dropped a ridiculous 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal on 61.5 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent shooting from distance in 30 minutes of action while serving as a main catalyst in their 124-106 win over the Pelicans.

His showing was so sensational that some are already questioning whether Golden State quietly fleeced Oklahoma City in this past summer's trade exchange that sent the 27-year-old out to the Bay Area for cash compensation.

While the likelihood that Waters can keep this level of play up with the Dubs moving forward is quite low, as his involvement was out of necessity due to injuries rather than anything else, his breakout showing could prove to be somewhat beneficial in the long run... though for OKC.

What Waters' performance may have some believing is that all he ever needed was an opportunity to show himself on the floor -- after all, he played a key role in the OKC Blue winning the NBA G League Championship last season, though saw just 12.3 minutes per game played with the varsity team in a total of 104 outings over three years.

Ousmane Dieng finds himself in a similar situation with the Thunder, as he's frequently been an underutilized talent on the main squad throughout his tenure despite having served as a driving force in the Blue's title run, as he won G League Finals MVP.

However, what's more interesting about his situation is that he's six years younger and has the allure of being a recently selected lottery pick as opposed to Waters' status as an undrafted free agent.

The Thunder are arguably the deepest team in the association and have been eyeing playoff runs for the past couple of seasons now. These talking points alone could easily be flipped into arguments for why they haven't been able to properly develop some of these young and promising players.

Having opposing teams buy into such a sentiment isn't all that much of a stretch to believe, for there is some serious merit to them.

Now, with Lindy Waters' performance against NOLA, it seems the idea is that all these Thunder players who have yet to realize their full potential just need opportunities to do so which, should they remain with the championship-hopeful Thunder, they won't be able to get.

Teams looking to enter into a rebuild, for example, may now be more inclined than ever to take a low-risk swing on someone of this aforementioned ilk.

Ousmane Dieng easily fits this bill and, should they possess some win-now players or even expendable draft capital (Brooklyn has both kinds of assets at their disposal), the Thunder could, in theory, now wind up getting some solid return value for his services.