Does this trade make sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Realistically, trading away Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes little to no sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder given the trajectory they are on as a franchise. He is the leader of their team right now and at 22-years-old, he is only going to continue to get better, so why would they trade him?
The Thunder are in a position as a franchise right now where they are stockpiling young talents and they are soon going to turn themselves into a real threat in the Western Conference. It may take 2-3 more years, but with 38 draft picks through the 2027 NBA Draft, GM Sam Presti has set this organization up to succeed.
Trading SGA would not be ideal, but you cannot deny that they would get a fair amount of value in return from the Magic in this trade proposal. Mohammed Bamba and R.J. Hampton are two young guys who can come in and play right away, as is the 8th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Oklahoma City wants young, talented players and they would be getting three of them in this trade package for the price of one. Not bad in the grand scheme of things, but Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the Thunder’s rebuild process right now and they will not consider trading him for anyone other than guys like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
The offseason could definitely be an interesting time for the OKC Thunder as they look for ways to continue building their “team of the future,” but moving on from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander feels foolish at this point. However, do not count out the Thunder making more trades this offseason.
They already acquired Kemba Walker from the Celtics for Al Horford and Moses Brown, so their front-office could have even more tricks up their sleeves! The future is bright for this franchise and this offseason is going to play a big role in helping shape the future of Oklahoma City.
