Even before seeing a single second of meaningful action with the OKC Thunder, 2024 lottery-selected guard Nikola Topic is widely considered to be one of the top trade chips the league has to offer.
Though Oklahoma City may not necessarily need to take advantage of this enviable status, as they're coming off a 68-win campaign and are the reigning NBA Champions, should they wish to pursue any particular outsourced talents, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley may have proposed the one transaction that could be worth their consideration.
Thunder trade proposal sees Nikola Topic swapped for Keegan Murray
In a recent piece penned by the seasoned writer, a trade idea was discussed involving the Thunder and Kings that, in essence, would swap Topic out for Keegan Murray.
The exact details of the hypothetical exchange reads as follows:
Thunder receive: Keegan Murray
Kings receive: Nikola Topić, Ousmane Dieng, a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected, via OKC, HOU or LAC), a 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected, via DEN) and a 2028 second-round pick (via UTA)
Though excitement surrounding Topic's debut campaign in the NBA may be emphatically high, especially following his strong Summer League play, a case could be made that his presence in OKC is yet another example of rotational overlap.
Currently on the Thunder, there are roughly six guards outside of the redshirted rookie who are coming into 2025-26 gunning for and worthy of receiving substantial minutes within coach Mark Daigneault's lineup.
As a result, even with his high-end upside and overall promise, there's reason to believe that Topic could struggle to find a regular role within the club's rotation, and, in turn, could end up seeing the majority of his playing time come down in the G League.
Add on the fact that he's more of a ball-dominant talent who severely struggles when it comes to finding his shot off the catch, and there's a realistic chance that the organization could have yet another Josh Giddey type of situation on its hands.
With this, Buckley is seemingly suggesting Sam Presti and company could follow the same pattern they did with Giddey and trade Topic for a player who's both objectively and schematically a better fit within the Thunder rotation.
Without a doubt, Keegan Murray fits this description to a tee.
As noted in the piece, Oklahoma City is not "particularly big on the wings" and, with the drive-heavy play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the presence of low-post big man Isaiah Hartenstein, "they'll always look to maximize spacing."
Throughout his three seasons in Sacramento, Murray has proven to fit this exact archetype, as the 6-foot-8 forward boasts career averages of 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.2 percent from deep on 6.3 attempts. He also finds himself coming off a 2024-25 season in which he made massive strides as a defensive contributor.
Though Buckley acknowledged that this kind of move would mean the Thunder will have to be ready to pay him handsomely, as he'll be heading into restricted free agency following this season, with the number of club options and easily movable deals found within OKC's possession, the "financial gymnastics," as he called it, that would need to be executed to keep him may be easier than some might believe.
As of this writing, the chance of Topic being moved any time soon is slim to none, and for good reason. Frankly, the Thunder would be foolish to part ways with the 20-year-old before getting a glimpse at what he can provide the team in regular season action.
That said, a trade idea like this is something Presti should keep in the back of his mind moving forward, especially during the months leading into the February trade deadline.