Does this trade make sense for Oklahoma City Thunder?

There is no reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder should not want to trade away Ty Jerome and Kenrich Williams, especially since they do not have much of a long-term future with this organization. Both guys could still potentially be waived before the start of the new season and neither guy really is a key contributor for Oklahoma City.

Both Jerome and Williams played well last season and can be solid bench contributors for a lot of teams in this league, but moving them to get Wendell Carter Jr. would be a really good deal for the Thunder. They need a young frontcourt piece to build with and if they are willing to pay Carter Jr., then this would be a good investment for OKC. 

The Clippers first-round pick in 2022 is going to wind up being anywhere from 21-30 in the first round, not giving the Thunder a chance to grab a top-tier prospect with this pick, and Philadelphia’s 2026 pick may not hold much immediate value to this rebuilding franchise either. 

The assets the Thunder would give up are perfect for them in terms of landing Wendell Carter Jr., but again, the Magic may think otherwise. He is a higher-level, young center with a ton of upside to grow on both ends of the court, so the Magic would probably want some better value in this trade. 

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This does not necessarily mean Orlando is not open to trading him, which is unknown at this time, but if the Thunder are going to want to trade for Wendell Carter Jr. during the 2021-22 season, they may have to be willing to part with a draft pick like the Clippers’ first-round in 2022, as well as a talented young player like Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski or Luguentz Dort, something they may not be interested in doing.