After seeing five of their direct conference foes recently take part in multiple blockbuster exchanges in a span of two days, the OKC Thunder officially got in on some trade action themselves.
Unfortunately, however, it may not be the big splash many fans have been hoping to see.
Monday night, following their drubbing of the Milwaukee Bucks out at Paycom Center, Oklahoma City announced that they had agreed to terms on a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, as they acquired the rights to a 2030 second-round pick (via Denver) in exchange for the rights to the Phoenix Suns' second-rounder in 2029.
Though far from earth-shattering, severely underwhelming, and, frankly, non-impactful to their title aspirations in 2024-25, this trade undoubtedly serves as a hint to what the front office's plan very well could be ahead of Thursday's deadline.
Hornets trade suggests Thunder will be shying away from splashy deals
While some may look at this deal with the Hornets as a mere afterthought move, GM Sam Presti is not someone who makes decisions without a clear vision.
In many ways, this trade suggests that the Thunder will likely keep their current team structure intact and prioritize pursuing future draft considerations more than incoming players leading into the February 6 cut-off.
Though regularly suggested as a realistic course of action for the ball club, it is far from the most exciting approach to trade season as several fans and pundits have been calling for OKC to finally cash in on their treasure trove of assets by attaining a win-now caliber talent such as Brooklyn Nets sniper Cameron Johnson or Utah Jazz tweener big John Collins.
However, though such a route would have been entertaining to see, considering they're already the top seed in the Western Conference standings at 39-9 and are widely recognized as the best two-way team currently in the league, it's not necessarily a necessity for them to take a gamble on an outsourced talent trying to fit into the rotation on the fly.
As Presti put it back during his preseason press conference back in September, "external solutions always bring with them a lot of risk."
The Thunder's payroll is only bound to increase exponentially over the next few seasons. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams will all be eligible to sign long-term extensions this coming offseason at max or near-max values.
Because of this, filling out the roster with quality talents may become a bit more challenging from a financial standpoint. A good, cost-efficient approach to doing so may be to utilize some of their potential total of 42 draft picks between now and 2027.
This trade with the Hornets not only extends the opportunity to snatch up rookie-scale salaried talents through the 2030 NBA Draft for the Thunder but it also reemphasizes the importance of second-round capital, especially with the new CBA in place.