For the better part of the 2020s, the OKC Thunder have been in possession of one of the deepest war chests of draft capital and other top-shelf trade assets the NBA has ever seen.
Because of this, with every passing season, the ball club finds itself automatically penciled in as a realistic threat to steal away virtually any big-name star that's rumored to be on the trade block.
The latest stud to take center stage in such rumblings is Bucks cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, according to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, was the focus of blockbuster discussions between Milwaukee and the New York Knicks this past offseason.
Clearly, nothing wound up coming about from the negotiations, as no deal was ultimately made, though the report has since sparked conversations about whether Giannis could realistically be moved elsewhere in the near future.
With their ability to piece together the most desirable return package, the Thunder are naturally viewed as the biggest risk to successfully swing for a mega deal.
Fortunately for the rest of the association, however, it doesn't appear that making such a move is on GM Sam Presti's to-do list, as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix revealed this week that Oklahoma City "has no interest."
Thunder are not interested in striking on Giannis blockbuster trade
According to Mannix's report, there are a bevy of teams that are monitoring the situation between Giannis and Milwaukee "very closely," several of whom are teams tabbed as Western Conference contenders.
Though the Thunder are believed to be a team that could make this league-wide sweepstakes "really interesting," as things currently stand, they are content with keeping their team intact moving forward.
Frankly, who can blame them?
We're talking about the defending NBA Champions, who are spearheaded by the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, recently established All-Star and All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, and rising stud big man Chet Holmgren.
We're also talking about the team that's returning for their repeat bid with a roster consisting of players who accounted for 99.2 percent of the minutes logged during their title bid just last season.
Though SGA, J-Dub, Chet, and Giannis teaming up on one team would be electrifying to see, why would this front office optionally gut a large chunk of this battle-tested and still extremely young core, as well as cut their future draft assets reserve in half, when they're already viewed as being in line to become the game's next great dynasty as is?
Add this logic to the fact that bringing on Giannis' three-year, $175.4 million max deal to their payroll would make dodging the dreaded second apron even more challenging moving forward, and this admittedly entertaining blockbuster idea becomes all the more nonsensical in practice.