Thunder News: LeBron trade, dream targets, Giddey fire, deadline week

Dream targets

The NBA Trade Deadline is just two days away, and the nature of the rumor mill is that name after name is churned out as someone for the Thunder to target in a trade. Those names range from two-way players and backup centers to All-Stars and young phenoms.

Which players would be an absolutely perfect fit on the Oklahoma City Thunder were they to be available? Will Eudy writes on the dream targets for the team, whether they are truly available, and what it would cost to add them.

Then we bring in a dash of reality, setting those dream targets in context with players who are much more realistic to land. Which players could the Thunder truly add this week in a trade, and which trade targets are purely pipe dreams?

Trade Deadline primer

The NBA Trade Deadline is this Thursday, February 8th, at 3:00 pm ET. If a trade is not phoned into the league office by that deadline, it's not happening until after the season. That leaves just over 48 hours for the Thunder and the other 29 teams to inquire, haggle, obfuscate, negotiate, bluster, press and ultimately execute any trades.

Except a lot of activity, but it may be time to temper expectations for a blockbuster deal. Last year Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were among the names to change teams at the deadline; this season the biggest names to be moved may have already been traded, namely OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam.

Dejounte Murray is a former All-Star who could be on the move, but he represents the high-end of players likely to be available. Where the deadline may be surprisingly deep is in veteran forwards, and it appears to be a buyer's market with names from Jerami Grant and Kyle Kuzma, down through Dorian Finney-Smith and Bojan Bogdanovic, all the way to Royce O'Neale and Grant Williams. The Thunder, if they make a move, are most likely to go after one of those names to bolster the frontcourt.

Who could the Thunder be sending out in return? Here is a list of the five Thunder players most likely to be traded before the deadline.

What's Next

The Thunder hit the road next to play the Utah Jazz tonight, then have a few days off before flying to Dallas to play the Mavericks on Saturday afternoon. Those games sandwich the Trade Deadline, so the roster could look somewhat different by the time they reach Dallas.