How This Trade Impacts Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are still in the earlier stages of their rebuild as they started the teardown process after trading Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns. But, could they rebuild while making a run at the NBA Play-In Tournament this season?
Eventually, Oklahoma City will have to start turning some of the draft capital they have into players that can help win games. Hopes and dreams are good to have, but that doesn’t help you win games. You need players, and right now, the Thunder only have one legitimately building block locked in long-term in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This offseason, they invested even more draft capital into the backcourt, selecting Josh Giddey and Tre Mann. Looking to make a move to upgrade the frontcourt, they could take a chance on Kristaps Porzingis.
The Thunder are one of the few teams in the NBA that can take on his massive contract. He also wouldn’t deter the franchise’s plans. If Porzingis plays well, they have another cornerstone to build the foundation with in addition to SGA. If he bombs, they ride things out and just stay the course building through the draft.
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Yes, having his contract on the books would handicap the Thunder a bit in the future when it comes to salary flexibility, but with the amount of space they have, they can still operate as they have been. They are also getting a look at Josh Green, a first-round pick from 2020 that hasn’t gotten much of a chance with the Mavericks.
This package isn’t a steep one, as they are parting ways with players who are solid contributors, but not stars. Two years ago, a package like this would have been laughed at if offered for Porzingis. Now, this may be the best deal Dallas will receive.
