We're not even a month into the 2025-26 NBA season, yet trade talk is already buzzing. As is always the case, the OKC Thunder are viewed as having the potential to bolster their already impressive firepower in a significant way.
In a recent piece by Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, all 30 teams were given one realistic and one dream target they could theoretically pursue between now and February's deadline.
Considering their treasure trove of draft capital, coupled with their impressive collection of promising young prospects on the roster, it should come as no surprise that the player who filled the "dream" category for Oklahoma City was Bucks megastar Giannis Antetokounmpo, a player who's likely atop every club's wishlist.
While this alone could spark an exciting discussion about how Sam Presti and company could go about reeling in the big fish of the league, perhaps more thought-provoking is the fact that their "realistic" target, Lauri Markkanen, is essentially every other team's best-case-scenario option.
A dream for other teams, Lauri Markkanen is a realistic Thunder target
On this very same list, Markkanen is tabbed as a dream trade target for a number of other teams, notably two direct rivals of the Thunder in both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.
For Oklahoma City, when it comes to a hypothetical pursuit of the Finnish star, they wouldn't be living in a fantasy land -- they'd be living in reality.
To Bailey, making such a transaction happen could likely prove to be rather easy for Sam Presti and company.
The seasoned B/R writer believes a package of Isaiah Hartenstein (salary purposes), along with another contract and a plethora of future draft picks, could be just enough to rank better than "just about any offer" the Jazz could field for their big man.
Considering he's still only 27, is an established All-Star, and is off to yet another tremendous season in Utah while averaging 33.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 48.9 percent shooting from the floor and 37.7 percent shooting from deep, the ease Bailey believes it would take for Oklahoma City to acquire him is rather absurd.
Yet, at the same time, it's entirely plausible.
Hartenstein's $28.5 million salary, coupled with, say, Lu Dort's $18.2 million (remember, OKC will inevitably have to decide on keeping Dort or Cason Wallace in the not-too-distant future), essentially matches Markkanen's $46.39 million payday perfectly, while throwing the Jazz any combination of their 13 incoming first-round draft picks could all but guarantee the transaction's acceptence.
Of course, it's important to understand that while the Thunder could make a deal like this happen, that doesn't mean they should. In fact, Bailey even made sure to note in his piece that he believes Oklahoma City is " less in need of a deal than any other team in the league."
While this is undeniably true -- after all, they've now started out their title defense tour undefeated at 7-0 and are playing an absolutely dominant brand of basketball despite being at sub-full strength --, knowing that, even with their already achieved success, they're still in the driver's seat when it comes to making the league's next big splash on the trade market is truly remarkable.
Simply put, they can realistically live out the dreams of virtually any other team should they choose to do so.