The Oklahoma City Thunder can reasonably expect to make a run in this year's playoffs. They are one of the best teams in the league on both ends of the court, are jockeying for the top seed in the Western Conference, and have a bona fide Top-5 player leading the way. This year matters.
At the same time, their best years are clearly ahead of them. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is firmly in his prime, but Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are just getting their careers started. Both will be better five years from now than they are now; they'll almost certainly be better two years from now. This is a team that is ready to win now, yes, but is also ready to win for a long time.
Who should the Thunder pursue?
How should they approach this summer? One option is to push the chips in for an All-Star player to join the group and start contending for titles at the very top of the mountain. The trick will be adding a player who is young enough to excel on OKC's timeline and has the right skillset to fit with the rest of their core.
There are some interesting options available to the Thunder this summer, both in free agency and on the trade market. One player in particular looks like a seamless fit and would be worth an aggressive offer this offseason. Let's lay out what a trade could look like and decide whether it's a deal that makes sense for Oklahoma City to make.