The Oklahoma City Thunder are clearly rebuilding. The entire league knows of their love for draft picks. Acquiring young up-and-comers of the Thunder may prove to be difficult, but the Thunder still have a number of veterans who can contribute to contending teams. Below are three possible trade ideas the Thunder can look into.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Three Trade Ideas
Utah Needs Help
The trade: Oklahoma City sends Kenrich Williams to the Utah Jazz for Joe Ingles and a future first-round pick.
Ingles is out for the rest of the season for the contending Jazz. Due to this, they should be looking to replace him in preparation for their playoff run. The Thunder have an almost ideal replacement in Williams, so they must give the Jazz a call.
Williams and Ingles have similar numbers this season, although Williams is younger and on a very team-friendly contract. Williams can do exactly what the Jazz need off the bench – play tough defense and make open shots. He’s also skilled enough to create his own shot. Furthermore, Utah needs help on defense. Williams is well-respected on this end within the Thunder locker room and was also nicknamed “Kenny Hustle” while at Texas Christian University a couple of years ago due to his hard work on defense.
Oklahoma City can easily absorb Ingles’ expiring contract. They also already own Utah’s 2024 first-round pick, so they can get another down the line in this trade.
Memphis Beefs Up for a Playoff Run
The trade: Oklahoma City sends Williams and Mike Muscala to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jarrett Culver and a first-round pick.
Memphis is looking more and more like a legitimate playoff contender. The team is quite young, but all opponents come playoff time must take them seriously. In this trade, Memphis looks to add more experience and depth.
Williams is versatile and will play hard in a number of different positions. He also joins up with Most Improved Player of the Year candidate Desmond Bane. The duo was terrific while at Texas Chrisitan University and is doing very well in the NBA. Exchanging the two in the two and three positions will bode well. Memphis can also use frontcourt depth, which Muscala provides. He’s also a solid offensive weapon.
Oklahoma City receives Culver, a former top-ten pick who hasn’t lived up to expectations. At least the Thunder can offer him more playing time in hopes he realizes the potential that he showed while at Texas Tech. Lastly, Oklahoma City gets a first-round pick which they surely covet.
Oklahoma City Thunder Take a Risk
The trade: the Thunder send Luguentz Dort to the Chicago Bulls for Patrick Williams.
Oklahoma City, after adding Josh Giddey, has their backcourt of the future. Dort can play the three but is undersized. He’s shown great flashes with the Thunder, but perhaps they’ll let him go. Here they get a major prospect in Williams from the Bulls. His injury affects his development, but Williams showed true flashes of brilliance when healthy. He was just drafted fourth overall in 2020.
Chicago is ready to compete for a championship this year. The Williams injury affected their wing play, but they can get a terrific player in Dort. He’s a stellar defender and a very solid shooter, averaging nearly 17 points per game this season. A move for Dort solidifies the Bulls as the East’s top contender outside of a fully healthy Brooklyn Nets squad. Losing a talent like Williams stings, but Dort is just 22-years-old.
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