The OKC Thunder are perhaps the only team in the entire league that doesn't need to make any sort of in-season shakeup in order to have the best shot at taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Considering they're the reigning NBA Champions, boast the best record in the association at 24-2, and are the odds-on favorites to win it all again in 2026, it's hard to argue against such a notion.
However, if they do look to make some sort of move between now and the February 5 trade deadline, it's more than likely that they'll be looking to add some extra draft capital to their collection and, while consolidation is presumably their preffered approach, should it require a player being sent outbound, Ousmane Dieng seems to be the most likely option.
Ousmane Dieng seems to be only realistic Thunder trade candidate
Simply put, the logic for offloading Dieng has been well fleshed out for the past several years now.
Since being selected 11 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Frenchman has fallen well short of expectations, seeing a reduction in his usage and, in turn, his overall numbers essentially in every passing campaign.
Because of this, it should come as no surprise that he wasn't extended this past summer, unlike his fellow draft classmates Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who both received max extensions.
Of course, as a result of not earning a new deal, Dieng is merely a lame duck player on this Thunder roster and is slated to enter the open waters of free agency this coming offseason.
Considering his lack of involvement within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation as is, coupled with the fact that the ball club could be adding on upwards of three first-round talents in the 2026 draft alone, it seems all but certain that, once his current contract expires, so, too, will his tenure in the Sooner State.
With this, why not try and get something in return for his services at the deadline rather than lose him for nothing?
Despite his underwhelming production to this point, there's a case to be made that Dieng still holds some value based on the sheer fact that he's a recent lottery selection who's still only 22 years old.
Coming into the association, he was viewed as a highly versatile, yet raw frontcourt talent who sports impressive length (6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan), defensive chops, and natural ball-handling skills.
While he may not have become a prominent player within Oklahoma City's rotation, it's important to remember that he's always been surrounded by other top-notch players at a similar position, which, innately, restricted both his playing time and freedom to receive a proper on-court trial-and-error period.
When given extended run down in the G League, however, Dieng has only managed to shine.
Perhaps this may be enough to have a struggling franchise in desperate need of talent believe that a longer leash and freedom to roam are all Dieng needs to flourish in the NBA (something the stacked Thunder simply can't provide), which may entice them to part ways with some lesser-valued draft capital in a buy-low attempt.
At the very least, shopping the fourth-year pro around on the market between now and February's cut-off to see what they could potentially land in exchange could be worth it for the Thunder front office to look into.