The OKC Thunder are in dire need of a jolt of energy down in their decimated frontcourt following the recent Chet Holmgren injury news.
After plummeting to the hardwood Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors, it was revealed that the rising star sophomore center sustained an iliac wing fracture in his right hip and will be sidelined for the next eight to ten weeks.
Such a happening couldn't have come at a worse time for the franchise, as Oklahoma City's big man depth is already completely barren what with Jaylin Williams and splashy free agency pick-up Isaiah Hartenstein both nursing their own respective ailments.
As a result of this string of injuries, coach Mark Daigneault has been forced to roll out an absurdly small lineup with the 6-foot-5 natural wing Jalen Williams slotting in as the primary pivot.
While this experimentation proved successful in their first go-around, as they bested the LA Clippers on Monday night by a final score of 134-128, from both the eye test and the fact that they allowed a guy like Ivica Zubac to effortlessly drop 22 points on them, it's more than evident that this is not an ideal strategy moving forward.
Because of this, many are under the impression that Sam Presti and company should consider adding an outsourced big man to help bolster their lackluster assortment, and, in a recent piece penned by Bleacher Report, a deal was proposed that OKC might want to consider.
Thunder trade idea sees Ousmane Dieng swapped out for Larry Nance Jr.
Parting ways with a recently selected first-round pick is never an easy decision for a team to make, but, when it comes to Ousmane Dieng, what other choice do they have?
While he was seemingly showing signs of improvement earlier in the season, it's evident that these strides weren't enough to instill confidence in the coaching staff to thrust him out in longer spurts and a bigger role even with their clear need for more size up front.
Instead of using 6-foot-10 Dieng as a replacement for Holmgren in the meantime, it appears the Thunder would rather use J-Dub along with the approach of swarming help defense to make up for their lack of center depth.
As a result of this far-from-enviable situation, writer Dan Favale believes that the Atlanta Hawks may want to consider dialing up Oklahoma City to provide some frontcourt relief while bringing on some favorable, future-focused assets in return.
Larry Nance Jr. is a player who has been tabbed as an interesting post-Holmgren injury target the Thunder should consider pursuing, and it's easy to see why.
Throughout his 10-year career, the veteran has made a name for himself as being a highly capable tweener big who can bang down low for boards (13.1 boards per 100 possessions), space the floor toward the perimeter on offense (35.4 percent long-range shooter), and play quality defense (110 defensive rating).
In other words, he provides everything the Thunder could use more of.
Through seven games played in 2024-25, Nance finds himself primarily coming off the pine for the Atlanta Hawks and is posting impressive averages of 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 70.0 percent shooting and 73.7 percent shooting from deep in just 16.6 minutes a night.
Adding his services not only would give the Thunder a much-needed, quality big who can log serious minutes at the five when needed, but, once guys like Hartenstein and Holmgren make their return, can be slotted into the lineup alongside them while playing the four (his more natural position), thus further strengthening coach Daigneault's highly versatile rotations.
Now, despite all of these positives that come with Nance's hypothetical arrival, there are certainly some negatives or, rather, hesitations that would come with striking on such an exchange.
Already, trading away the 21-year-old Dieng would be a bit controversial on its own, but then adding the beloved Jaylin Williams and then a first-round pick on top of it may be seen as quite a steep price among Thunder fans.
However, considering their treasure trove of draft capital, parting ways with one of their less valuable picks likely wouldn't even be felt, while swapping out Dieng and Williams for Nance would be something that could not only help them in the now but, frankly, could prove to be far more seamless of a fit from rotational standpoint moving forward.
Again, the outbound package may be a bit too pricey for Presti's rather reserved trade tactics, but at the very least it's something that he may want to consider.