Why The Oklahoma City Thunder Do The Deal
You may have noticed that the Thunder aren’t bringing a lot of impact players into the fold with this deal. That was deliberate.
On the other hand, we can’t know what to expect from Kyle Lowry in 2022-23. If his performance in the 2021-22 postseason was any indication, the 36-year-old’s best days are likely behind him. Still, even if he was impacting winning for the Thunder, it wouldn’t matter – they’d promptly sit him, and seek a trade.
This deal serves two purposes for the Thunder. Firstly, and most obviously, it increases their draft capital. On the other hand, and perhaps most importantly, it allows them to bottom out and improve their own lottery odds ahead of the 2023 draft.
For the uninformed, next year’s class is a doozy. Victor Wembenyama is the headliner, as some people consider him the best NBA prospect since LeBron James.
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Still, names like Scoot Henderson, Nick Smith, Amen Thompson and more have NBA general managers salivating. Surely, they’re all on Sam Presti’s radar.
With this deal, he doubles down on his strategy. The Thunder will contend for the worst team in the NBA next season if they make this trade, but it could put them in a better position to contend in five years. Does it help the win-now Heat enough in the short term?
