The Oklahoma City Thunder can easily justify taking things slow this season, not compromising their roster construction for a win-now trade as they let their young players get a taste of playoff basketball. It's rare for a core playing in their first playoffs to not just win a series but, also, come close to a second.
Alas, the Thunder were really good this year and should be even better moving forward.
At the same time, nothing is promised in the NBA, and for all the talent of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren as a core, the Thunder cannot afford to sit back and let things play out organically. Armed with multiple salaries, a horde of draft picks and salary cap flexibility, the Thunder have a chance to make a move this summer to take yet another step forward.
The OKC Thunder can trade for a star this offseason
Who should that star player be? It needs to be someone who doesn't demand the ball on every possession, as Gilgeous-Alexander is too good not to be the No. 1 option.
At the same time, the Thunder could use an elite offensive talent to take on much of the scoring burden when defenses load toward SGA. Their five-out system would benefit from adding a floor-spacer, but at the same time, their defense would benefit from not adding a weak link.
That's a detailed shopping list, but the perfect answer may actually come in the form of a familiar face.
The Phoenix Suns flamed out spectacularly in the playoffs but, in contrast to the Thunder, have very few paths ahead to make any real changes to the team. One of those paths is trading Kevin Durant, and given his history of team movement, he could be open to another move, or even request one himself.
If that's the case, the Thunder make a lot of sense for a reunion with their former MVP. Let's see what a trade for Kevin Durant would look like and whether Oklahoma City should try to pull it off.
Laying out a Kevin Durant trade
The Phoenix Suns gave up the moon to add Kevin Durant a season-and-a-half ago, so convincing them to trade him now will not be an inexpensive undertaking.
At the same time, they are currently locked into a roster that couldn't even win a single playoff game, and Durant will be 36 years old before the start of next season. It's not the craziest thing in the world for Phoenix to consider retooling around Devin Booker and Bradley Beal and getting on a younger timeline.
Once Phoenix is willing to come to the table, the trick will be finding enough salary to match Durant's $51 million payday for next season.
The Thunder can use their cap space to help offset the costs and decrease the Suns' luxury tax burden, but they still have to make painful decisions as to what key player to move on from.
It's difficult to find a path forward in a Durant deal that doesn't involve trading Luguentz Dort.
The Thunder will also want to move on from Josh Giddey in a Kevin Durant deal, but the Suns likely aren't the right fit for the talented point forward, requiring the addition of a third team. In this scenario, that team is the Utah Jazz, who would be taking a shot on Josh Giddey's development and in return adding a first-round pick to the pile heading to Phoenix.
Here is what the deal could look like:
The Utah Jazz make this trade to add a high-upside player in Josh Giddey who is clearly not a good fit on the Thunder but is still one of the league's best passers and has improved each season he has been in the league.
They also take on Gordon Hayward in a sign-and-trade at around the mid-level exception; the teams can structure his contract so that it's only guaranteed in the first season, securing him more money than he can expect this season anywhere else.
That allows the Jazz to move off of John Collins, a player that almost certainly doesn't factor into their long-term plans.
The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, get back an overall trade package that doesn't match what they sent out for Kevin Durant but is still a massive collection of players and picks.
They want to take on John Collins in this scenario to both give them another offensive hub and to provide a matching salary that they can then attach their newly acquired draft picks to in pursuit of an upgrade this summer or down the line.
They also get to add a pair of proven contributors in Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams.
Dort, in particular, is an instant starter for the Suns, providing the defensive stopper they never had this season. The picks, a collection of picks from various teams, don't contain a single "premium" option but a Suns team without any first-round picks available suddenly has a lot more flexibility to shape the roster moving forward.
If Phoenix gets on board and is willing to make this trade, should the Thunder pull the trigger?
Do the Thunder make this trade?
In addition to the on-court difficulties of finding the right star to add to their roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder have to consider how expensive their team is going to get in a couple of seasons when new contracts for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren kick in.
Adding another star who will be under contract for $40 or $50 million in 2026-27 would skyrocket this group above the second apron.
Adding Kevin Durant gives them flexibility that offseason, as Durant has just two seasons remaining on his current deal. The Thunder could benefit from their lowered team costs over the next two seasons by adding an All-NBA forward and two-time Finals MVP, then as Jalen Williams grows into his own and the roster is poised to get more expensive they can move on.
As far as two-year rentals go, it's hard to beat Kevin Durant.
He is an underrated defender, plus rebounder and strong playmaker, and that's in addition to being one of the league's best scorers and shooters, even at 35 years old. The thought of defenses trying to stop an SGA - Holmgren pick-and-pop action while Jalen Williams runs a pindown screen for Kevin Durant and either Cason Wallace or Isaiah Joe spot up in the opposite corner? It's literally a Kobayashi Maru.
There is also a storybook nature to the narrative of Durant returning to Oklahoma City at the end of his career. He is the best player in franchise history, won an MVP, and took this team to the NBA Finals.
Coming back to be the veteran co-star for a couple of seasons would likely win back most of the fans hurt by his departure.
Kevin Durant winning a title for the Thunder? That's what movies are made of.
This deal is not cheap, especially not for a player a dozen years older than the rest of the core. Losing Lu Dort is a major blow and requires Cason Wallace to be ready right away. The Thunder would lack much of any matching salary to add other pieces.
Yet their status would go from title contender to title favorite, and that is the kind of deal you push the chips in for.
They would still have draft picks, still have young, improving players, and still have a bright future even after Durant leaves. If all parties are on board with this, it seems like the kind of bold move that wins a franchise a title.
Grade: A-