Pros and cons of Thunder potentially trading for Jerami Grant

Con: Cost

The concept of bringing on any talent upgrade is always an entertaining one for fans to speculate about, but, inevitably, it will require the team to cough up some semblence of valuable assets in order to make such an acquisition happen.

As things currently stand, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, GM Joe Cronin has reportedly set the asking price for Grant's services at two first-round draft picks. On the surface, this is a simple exchange the Thunder could make considering they boast a treasure trove of capital just waiting to be utilized.

However, what also comes into play when it comes to making a deal work is making the numbers work from a salary standpoint.

Just last summer, Grant inked a brand new $160 million fully guaranteed contract that will run through the 2027-28 season.

Not only would Oklahoma City need to find a way to construct an outbound package that would match or, at the very least, come within a certain percentage of the veteran's $29.8 million salary for this coming season, but they'd also have their work cut out for them from a long-term financial standpoint as well.

Next offseason, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be eligible for a monster new payday that currently is being valued at $296 million over four years.

On top of this, soon after the likes of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will also be up for lucrative extensions themselves, which, assuming all are signed -- as they should be --, would lead to far less financial flexibility for the franchise to work with all within just a few years.

These three new contracts alone will become somewhat of a headache for the Thunder to deal with over the next several seasons. Do they really want to add the four years remaining of Grant's fully guaranteed contract on top of all this?