Why the OKC Thunder should not make a splashy trade this season

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA’s newest precocious overachievers. They’ve grown quickly from “black eye of the league” to one game short of the playoffs last season.

Now, they find themselves in the upper reaches of the Western Conference. It can’t be overstated just how abruptly this team has developed into what looks like a contender. 

If you sense some hesitancy in my tone there, well, there’s a reason for that. I believe this team is special, but I still err on the side of “could win a first-round series” more than “could make the finals.” I would love to be proven wrong.

Prove me wrong all the way to the championship parade. Nothing would make me happier. I’m just not ready to believe it. This year, in my estimation, feels like a precursor to title contention. We’re getting our feet wet before we take the plunge.

There are Thunder fans who would disagree with me. Fans who believe that this young team is ready to slay any giant. Fans who believe that next season is not promised and that Sam Presti must seize this moment and make his move. 

They lived through the Thunder’s first run. They saw the team reach the Finals in 2012, fall short, and never make it back to the top of the mountain—season after season passed by.

Potential championships were wiped away by injuries. Klay Thompson ripped our hearts out, and the window closed. 

Now, they see a Thunder team back in the same position: on the precipice of basketball eternity. And they just wanna give the team a little push.

To right the wrongs of the past Thunder teams by making the big trade before it’s too late. But if you’re sitting at the poker table, and you get handed a pair of aces, does that mean you’re pushing all your chips in? Feel free to disagree, but I’d like to see the flop (insert James Harden joke) before I go all in.