With Trade Deadline Approaching, What Should Thunder Do?

This season has been a huge success for the Oklahoma City Thunder, sitting firmly in the postseason conversation at just one game under .500 thus far.

Despite quite a few key injuries and a glaring lack of height, Oklahoma City has found ways to be effective and has adapted well to adversity. With that in mind, the trade deadline is in less than two weeks, meaning it’s the Thunder’s last opportunity to make significant roster tweaks. This will also be a pivotal time for many teams around the league and will provide clarity on the direction of several franchises.

Should the Thunder make a move, or maintain status quo the rest of the way?

To be clear, Oklahoma City has the assets to make nearly any trade happen around the league. With a record setting amount of draft capital and an abundance of young players, the decisions to be made between now and Feb. 9 rest solely on the shoulders of the front office.

There’s plenary of attractive names on the market, especially as it relates to players that are young enough to fit the Thunder’s timeline. There’s no question that OG Anunoby, John Collins, Mo Bamba and others that are reportedly available for the right price would be great in OKC.

Even then, it likely doesn’t make sense to make a major splash at the deadline, for multiple reasons. Most notably, maintaining financial flexibility moving forward is key for a rebuilding team. With changes to the CBA on the horizon, staying cautious is a smart move. Furthermore, with how many young and upcoming players Oklahoma City has, more large contracts will have to be given out.

The front office has been clear since the start of the rebuild that it’s all about patience and not making impulse decisions too early.

“If there was an acceleration button that wasn’t a detriment to the future of the Thunder, I’d be the first one to press it, said GM Sam Presti at the end of last season. “Until then, I’m going to be the first one protecting anyone else from pressing that button.”

Rather, the Thunder could keep a pulse on the market for impactful marginal moves. Whether that be leveraging their trade exceptions to take on unwanted money attached to draft capital, or a trade involving role players, those are concepts that are certainly on the table.

Presti is known for extracting value out of players before they’re able to walk in free agency. A recent example of this was moving Hamidou Diallo near the trade deadline in 2021 for Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick. Rather than risking not being able to retain Diallo in free agency, he added a marginal draft asset and got a look at another young player that could potentially be a better fit long-term.

There’s a similar framework that could unfold like that this season, with Darius Bazley set for a new contract after this season. If there’s any hesitation towards signing him to a new deal at a price he’d agree to, now is the time to move him.

Whether it’s using Bazley to acquire a young player and second-round pick, or even Oklahoma City using some of its own picks alongside Bazley to bring in a higher quality talent, he’s the one name to keep an eye on.

There’s also players on the Thunder roster, most notably Kenrich Williams, that opposing teams will attempt to pry away from Oklahoma City. As things stand today, holding on to players like that are key for the Thunder, and they’d have to be blown away with an offer to make that type of move.

In short, don’t expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to make a huge splash between now and the trade deadline. If any deal does happen, it will be marginal.