Does this trade make sense for Oklahoma City Thunder?

Taking on a $91.6M contract like John Wall’s sounds really dumb for the Thunder, but at the same time, he definitely brings some positives to the table for them. Not only is Wall a great “team-first” player, but he is a 5x All-Star who could really help aid in the development of some of the Thunder’s young backcourt players. 

Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Vit Krejci, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all talents in the Thunder’s backcourt who do have a lot of potential for the future, but they really do not have a leader right now.

John Wall could be this leader, and given his leadership in Houston this past year. There are no doubts about his ability to help these guys in Oklahoma City

Perhaps the best part of adding John Wall for the Thunder, though, is that they add two more first-round picks. The pick they would get from Houston in 2022 would be Top-5 protected, which is where iffy on whether or not it would convey over, but if the Rockets kept this pick, the Thunder would most likely end up with two first-round picks in 2023, giving them a total of six first-round picks in 2023! 

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The job GM Sam Presti has done building this team through the draft over the years is quite remarkable, and the future is very bright for this franchise. They need another big contract on their roster, and by adding Wall, the Thunder adds not only future draft compensation but also a team-first leader who can help this team on and off-the-court. 

Trading for John Wall and taking on his contract is actually a very smart move for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is why this deal does, in fact, make sense for the Thunder, even though they would be trading away a valuable young guard in Theo Maledon.