Does this trade make sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Ben Simmons is a great two-way presence in this league and could wind up turning into the elite-level player he was supposed to be with the 76ers in Oklahoma City, but is this a chance Sam Presti is willing to take right now?
While they are only 6-16 and likely to finish with one of the worst records in the league, the Thunder have a lot of good things going for them right now and they have one of the best looking young cores in the entire league.
Trading for Simmons could wind up speeding up their rebuild and adding the likes of Jaden Springer, Isaiah Joe and another first-round pick in 2022 could give them all the talent they need to be a force next season, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of their team right now.
He has been in Oklahoma City since the start of the 2019-20 season and as this team has phased out big names like Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Al Horford and Danilo Gallinari, Gilgeous-Alexander has been the one to step up and become the leader of this franchise.
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Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 22.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and has shot 47.1% from the floor, 36.7% from three-point range.
At such a young age to be producing like this, the future is very bright for Shai, which is why the Thunder really should not be willing to screw this up right now.
They have a total of 35 draft picks through the 2028 NBA Draft right now, so they do not necessarily need more draft picks and they are going to end up with more high-level, young talents over the next several years, so this trade does seem a little bit like a lateral move for them.
Shia Gilgeous-Alexander knows this system, he is their young leader and by getting rid of him for Ben Simmons, the Thunder would be setting themselves back a year since they would need to rebuild around Simmons and get him acclimated to their system.
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While they would be getting a ton of value in this trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, the best thing the Oklahoma City Thunder can do for themselves right now is be patient, continue developing their young talents and look for another All-Star-like talent to pair with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the foreseeable future.
