While a large chunk of attention has been drawn toward the concept of who the OKC Thunder could look to acquire ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, perhaps equally intriguing is wondering which players could head outbound in a hypothetical exchange.
Looking at how Oklahoma City is currently constructed, their list of untouchable players seems to be rather short.
Because of this, leading into February 6's cut-off, roughly 10 players on the club's payroll may be at risk of being shipped out and, according to the folks at Bleacher Report, there are two names, in particular, who could be high on the radar for a couple of conference foes.
B/R lists 2 Thunder as targets for Conference rivals ahead of deadline
In a recent piece penned by writer Greg Swartz, two Thunder players in Isaiah Joe and Ousmane Dieng were tabbed as "last-minute targets" for specific organizations ahead of the trade deadline, with the former being argued as a fit for the New Orleans Pelicans and the latter for the Portland Trail Blazers.
For Joe, the case laid out by the seasoned B/R veteran is that his attributes could help compliment NOLA's highly depleted backcourt that ranks 18 in points, 21 in long-range shooting, and 29 in net rating.
Throughout his five-year professional career, the two-guard has developed into a highly reliable two-way contributor who, through 44 games in 2024-25, is dropping 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per 100 possessions on 39.9 percent shooting from deep while registering an impressive defensive rating of 109.
As for Dieng, his link to the Blazers is largely due to the upside that he still is believed to possess.
Just three years removed from going 11 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, the 21-year-old is a combo forward who boasts an impressive 6-foot-10 build and has showcased innate abilities to put the ball on the floor, create separation on offense, and serve as a highly versatile defender thanks to his length (7-foot wingspan) and quickness.
While he has yet to prove capable of putting his skills together at the NBA level while receiving limited action, when given extended run down in the G League he's only managed to shine as he's fresh off guiding the Thunder's developmental affiliate, the OKC Blue, to a Championship and is currently stuffing the stat sheet with 20.4 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game this year.
With this stark contrast in production, there's an argument to be made that perhaps all Dieng may need to unleash his potential is more in-game minutes and a longer leash on the hardwood.
Though a win-now, title contender like the Thunder may not be able to offer such luxuries, a tanking team like the Blazers very easily could, especially if they offload current starting forward Jerami Grant.
While we may only be days away from the NBA trade deadline, it's still truly anyone's guess as to what Oklahoma City's plans are. However, despite this unpredictability, Swartz is urging fans to keep an eye on the likes of Joe and Dieng heading into Thursday.