3 Trades Thunder wish they made instead of acquiring Gordon Hayward

Kelly Olynyk

Another major flaw in Oklahoma City's rotation this past campaign was their lack of size down in the frontcourt.

Though Chet Holmgren sports a 7-foot-1 frame, he weighs in at 204 pounds soaking wet, and his lack of strength severely showed when going up against Dallas' assortment of big men in Dereck Lively Jr. and Daniel Gafford.

Despite their clear need for more bulk down low, coach Daigneault's scheme proved to work at its best when running a floor-spacer down at the five, and, though popular targets such as Andre Drummond would have brought in extra size, such additions would have clogged the lanes and, in turn, hindered the Thunder's offensive game plan.

Of course, acquiring a guy like Utah Jazz veteran Kelly Olynyk may have been a way to bring on another big body while not sacrificing the team's perimeter-oriented style of offensive play.

Coming into February's deadline, Olynyk was a name hotly mentioned on the rumor mill and the Thunder were believed to be a logical destination for his services considering his 6-foot-11, 240-pound frame and career 36.9 percent long-range shooting.

His production of 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals on 55.5 percent shooting from the floor and 38.7 percent shooting from distance could have been of great use within OKC's rotation down the stretch, and his versatility as a big likely would have come in handy during their playoff run.

Is he an all-out game changer who, on his own, would have lifted the Thunder from title hopeful to all-out favorite? No and probably not, respectively.

Still, it's very likely that Olynyk would have been a regular contributor and a valuable commodity within Daigneault's rotation.

Following his second-half stint, the same cannot be said about Hayward.