The world didn't stop spinning when the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, though it felt that way (and still may). It was enough for some to wonder whether Sam Presti would consider trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo to give OKC someone to counter Victor Wembanyama. Marc Stein reported otherwise on Monday for The Stein Line (subscription required):
In consulting with various rival executives in the wake of Oklahoma City's Game 7 loss at home to San Antonio in the Western Conference finals, I've yet to encounter any who strongly believe that Sam Presti would pursue such a dramatic move in response to the defending champions' dethroning.
Oklahoma City has the picks and young players to make a dream offer to Milwaukee, but the Thunder aren't in desperation mode. Not even close. Anyway, if the Thunder were interested, the Bucks would try to drain them of everything they have, knowing what their treasure chest holds.
Trading for an oft-injured 31-year-old star, no matter how good he can be when healthy, would be enough of a risk. Tearing apart a roster that won the 2025 title would ramp up the pressure even more. Oklahoma City doesn't need that.
Thunder have no real reason to even think about Giannis trade
As Stein noted, Oklahoma City can use the No. 12, 17, and 37 picks in the draft to trade up to boost its frontcourt. He added that vaulting their way up to the top four to select Cam Boozer is unlikely, but Aday Mara could be a player they trade up for.
The Thunder's chances of doing that are higher than they are for landing Antetokounmpo, and Presti could change that if he wanted to. Milwaukee would happily hop on the phone right now if it knew Oklahoma City was serious about making a deal happen. It would make things easier on the Bucks, and Giannis would probably be known to make the move, too.
That's not who Presti is, and even in the ever-changing NBA realm, it's not who he needs to be, either.
The Thunder will still be a top team in the West next season, though their path to winning another title is even more challenging with Wembanyama and San Antonio standing in the way. The same goes for the Spurs, though this season, they clearly had the upper hand.
You can wonder if things would've gone differently in the playoffs if OKC had a healthy Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, but unfortunately, that's how things go sometimes. You can't win them all, but no Thunder fan would've objected to the team repeating.
Oklahoma City will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, like with Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein's team options, as well as navigating financial constraints, but one thing it won't have to worry about is losing out on Antetokounmpo. And that will be by choice.
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