Should the OKC Thunder Make a Splash Trade?

Should the OKC Thunder Make a Splash Trade?

Should OKC make a trade simple yes or no question but of course there’s more context always in these type of questions we just saw the SE the the OKC Thunder beat the Celtics pretty convincingly they almost gave away the game in the fourth quarter but they

Still held out strong and wanted it was a fourpoint game OKC OKC was up big they was up pretty convinc Le that’s what I said they were throwing in the four OKC almost you know so the game in the fourth but they ended up winning the game convinc they didn’t sit right with

Me it wasn’t convincingly Riv this is for you first should OKC make a trade and if they should what type should they make I don’t think it’s a easy and you just mentioned I don’t think it’s an easy simple yes or no because I think OKC is

Trending in the right direction you know I think they’re one of the few teams with One max player who’s really young you know and a bunch of really young talented players that just compliment him well you know and I think with him between him sh Jay duve you know they’ve

Produced and shout out to mark their coach they produced the top six offense and top six defense in the league they’re one of the best at getting steals deflecting they play well you know offensively they run through SJ butash can get his too you know sh can

Pop out hit the three ball can handle in transition and jdb is no sneaky guy too when he gets in his mode you know and and I think it’s interesting because this is a team that’s kind of riddled with so much talent so much draft

Capital they can make any move in the in the league right now to get any Star you know I think I would say if the right move approaches yes you know I think for a player like Lor who’s been circling around that would be good for a player

Like Donovan Mitchell if he decides he wants to uh resign with OKC I think that would be good I think SGA and Don are like a beautiful back court I think Lori fits perfectly he’s a guy who can uh play at any level can also defend you

Know so that brings in but I think I don’t think they’re in a in in a position where they need to make a move I think if the right move is available they should pull the trigger you know I think they’re in that position where they can either wait and see how this

Young core plays in the playoffs Wai and see how they produce you know cuz this is still a fresh Court you know they were in the playe last year no sh this is year two Jay dub you know they got a lot of talent K Wallace is also another

One who’s been he’s been efficient that is your dog will give you that uh offensively he’s been as efficient as he can come as a rookie defensively he is a dog Lou dor you know he’s not the greatest offensive player but defensively D chamber you know how

He gets so I think this team is in a great position to kind of just wait you know I think they have a [ __ ] ton of money and you got to think too because over the course like we got this new rule with going over the uh apron the

Second or the third so you got to remember you got to pay shat in two three years you know you got to pay Jay dub in two three years you know you got to resign SGA down the road so it’s a lot to think about in this whole OKC

Rebuilding process a lot to see who you going to pay who you’re not going to pay but I think right now they’re second seed in the west you know second or third seed in the west there’s no need to make a move I would like them to make

A move if they can you know I think they need some front Court depth you know I think sometimes they do get bullied down low in the paint if sh gets in foul trouble they are a little sticky in that situation because they do run a bit of a

Small lineup in certain situations but all in all you know if the right move is available I would say yes they can make the move but it’s if it’s not available don’t rush the process go talk to me Mr Moran because I know that I know where you’re going with

This you know where I’m going with this I tweeted it last a crazy question no I I had to cover my mouth because I was about to laugh mid your mon and you didn’t deserve that that was a crazy question funny as [ __ ] I think you

Need to be patient with OKC and with this young core you need to be patient because this is already the second seed in the west The Season’s not over they can very well get the first seed still they’re in the running they’re only one game back behind

Minnesota I think it’s too much to ask a young team to bring in an established Allstar player to this team and ask them for it to jail Lori marinin is the name that pops up the most I’ve also heard Pascal cakam Lori marinan would be a

Better fit but you have to think about more than just fit and basketball stylistic preferences because with Lori marinin if you trade for him this is somebody that right now in Utah he’s getting a 25% usage percentage that would be second most on OKC even though

He is an offb player that is still a lot to ask for a team to just bring in Lori marinan and try to fit because now you have to start running plays from you have to start running sets from him and that probably takes away from sga’s usage Pascal cakam from Toronto somebody

That needs the ball in his hands so you’re taking that opportunity away from Jaylen Williams not only that but Lori marinan is due for a Payday in a year and a half Pascal cakam is due for a Payday this off season those are two players that are very much looking at what their

Market could be and they want to maximize their money and I’m not a fan of teams getting players on deals that are close to expiring because now you don’t know if they’re fully bought in on the team and sometimes they just are bought in on getting their numbers and

Getting paid once free agency comes along SGA is an all NBA player he’s a superstar Jaylen Williams is going to be an All-Star one day Chad homr is going to be an All-Star one day you already have the foundation to win a champ ship you just have to be patient I think the

Move they should make because I do think they need to make a trade but they don’t need to make a trade for a big time name I would like them to go out and get Alex Caruso give up some first round picks for Alex Caruso even if you got to

Overpay for Caruso it doesn’t matter because Presley has a treasure chest of picks does another name that came up to me um because they lack size and it’s pretty clear that they’re a smaller team go and get Gordon ha from the Hornets I think Gordon Hayward would fit

In perfectly with this team he can shoot he can playmake he can take you off the dribble he’s a solid Defender he’s a great team Defender and if somebody like that is implemented into this team and he’s either coming off the bench or starting and now you have SGA dork

Hayward Williams and chett I think it makes that lineup much more better so I would get a player around the edges that helps you I wouldn’t get a star player to this team so I would make a trade but not a big SPL last trade you want to

Talk D I think I see both sides of it because you do you would like to see one playoff series one playoff run and kind of you know establish your weaknesses there and go from there because if you do make a move now or at the deadline you’re basically locking yourself into

That play or assuming it’s you know a big name like a Lori or Pascal to be fair I think Lori is the pretty clear move over those two guys that was my New Year’s resolution and the team is a little bit small although Chad of course

You know being that unicorn at 7 foot being able to handle the ball they don’t really have much depth behind behind them that have size um but I do look at this Thunder team and they are young right SGA Chad Jaylen Williams but that wouldn’t stop me from going and getting

Another player that fits with these guys because the hardest thing to do in a rebuild to me is finding that 1A player finding your MVP type player you got that in SGA the next thing to do is okay who’s that who’s that person you can pair with to be that number two they

Found a perfect number two in chat and they probably also found their number three in Jaylen Williams who is you know just runner up to Rookie of the Year made a a crazy run the last couple months of the Season two-way player had a clutch basket over Jason Tatum last

Night to really secure the game he’s improving so you have three players who are are really your core and let alone all the other pieces they’ve drafted between cson Wallace L Dort Isaiah Joe who they picked up off like waivers I want to say a Philly uh cut him they

Have all the pieces but now it’s basically how can we get all these pieces that are our core how can we uplift them and that’s where I look at Lori Markin and I’m saying he would fit in I know the usage rat’s around 2 5% um which you mentioned would be second

Highest on the Thunder but I still don’t think that would take away too much from what SGA is doing what chat’s doing of course like naturally do some of their numbers come down probably but I still think that makes them a better team overall you’re bringing in Lori who’s 7

Foot um who could playoff ball like you mentioned who could obviously hit the three who doesn’t even though the usage percentage is at 25% he doesn’t need the ball in his hand to be an impactful player so I I really look at Lori and like this feels like the perfect player

There are some names out there like we mentioned Pascal even Bridges but I don’t first of all the Nets don’t really want to give him up at least that’s the latest report and I still think Lori fits better I like the size I like the shooting and It just

Fits you’re not it doesn’t feel like an awkward fit on paper like I feel like Pascal would be still a bit of an awkward fit um just because he’s not as nearly good as a shooter as Lori is so I still look at that move saying I know

How good you are how young you are they won what six in a row now over some of the best teams in the NBA it doesn’t feel like it’s needed to make a move but it just feels like such a natural fit for me where you have all of these draft

Picks and all of these assets we’ve already seen this past season they ran out of roster spots where they had to kind of just get off players didn’t have enough players or didn’t have enough roster spots for all the players they wanted so at some point you’re going to

Have to move these draft picks or players and kind of condense the roster a bit so I think Lori marinin feels like a pretty clean and obvious move on the OKC just to add to your point Mr Dells on catch and shoot threes he gets almost eight a game he’s shooting almost 39%

From three so he it would be a perfect fit you mentioned the usage rate I think that we have seen that he does not need the ball in his hands to obviously be successful you know SGA is going to be the primary ball handler you saw last

Night there are very few people in the league that can guard him and one of the best defensive teams in the league they threw Derek Derek white they threw Drew holiday atam it did not matter he was going to get his you plug in Lori to this I don’t think it’s imperative they

Make a trade would it kind of boost their odds to come out of the Western Conference if they made a move for aori if they made a move for Caruso a pascal Saku I feel like would be third on that list for me personally I would go Lori

Of the three you mentioned I’d go Lori I’d go Caruso and then I would go Pascal they already have a solid defensive front like Riv mentioned already top six in defensive rating and Lori marinin only adds to them being one of the best three-point shooting teams you add Lori

Markin into that with his ability to be such a great catch and shoot uh catch and shoot scorer it only becomes scarier for the Oklahoma City Thunder you mentioned Caruso now that becomes intriguing to me for the idea they’re already one of the better defensive units K Wallace coming off the

Bench he’s a great defensive player in his own right then you add Alex Caruso to this Bunch now we’re talking about legitimate contention for being one of if not the best defensive teams right there with the Minnesota Timberwolves so I don’t think that it’s 100% yes make a

Move or you’re not going to be able to to get anything done this season because you look look at the way they’re playing basketball they’re a top four team in the in the Western Conference they’re one of the best teams in the NBA and they’re doing this at such a young team

Age but if you want to really make yourselves known amongst the league you go out there and you get Lori marke and you get the size that you ask for in a s- foot player in Lori on top of it you get the amazing three-point shooting

That Lori brings I think that’s the move that makes the most sense but Caruso definitely a great name to mention because there’s very few guards in the league that I take over him when it comes to defense yeah and and I mentioned um Bridges because obviously they came out the report that’s saying

They’re not moving Bridges they want to build around foundation that’s that [ __ ] sounds cool and all but I think like like like we’re talking about a player who has already shown you what type of player he can be in a moment where there’s a onea or there’s a one there’s

A two and then there’s him he’s shown you that he’s shown you he can be that 3 andd type of player that defensive player all they need is another guy that can plug it in and Lori obviously makes so much sense but you got to think of it

Like this too SJ got here three four years ago maybe five you know he played with Chris Paul improved improved he was a 2 point 24 Point per game score when Chris Paul left didn’t play much that year though he played I think like 40 or

50 games last year it got to the playin you know shett missed the whole year now you’re I guess I want to say in your the third year of this rebuild you want to maximize SGA you want to maximize him as much as possible you know you want to be

Able to put the best team around him at this young age because you want to you don’t want to sit here and have this team like at he he’s he’s 29 30 years old and you’re like damn I wish we would have maximized him sooner you know he’s

Not going to score 30 points per game forever you know he’s not going to be elite forever you want to kind of like take advantage of the talent that you can now so I think like we I think we’re all on the same page in terms of you can

Make a move if it makes sense you know if Lori becomes available and you can throw three first round picks in somebody else like and let’s be realistic they got a they got a spot waiting in giddy spot wherever giddy spot is they got a spot waiting he just

Doesn’t fit with this enough he was the best player on the let me not say one of the best the last like 10 games or so his shooting has been a lot better overall lot better he just doesn’t fit I don’t think he’s the guy that he’s

Probably the odd man out in this situation so that’s another spot right there that you can fill in with a guy that Lori who they can run plays for who they can run now not just to pick and roll with shed SJ but now to pick and

Pop pick and roll with him and Lori like that’s something that can open up seak he’s a weird fit I don’t want him in OKC I think you you’re looking at the guys who can play on ball off ball so of course Lori Alex Cruz Conn though yeah I

Just seak on a one-year deal kind of seems like he just wants to stance around so it’s not giv a full commitment I don’t I don’t know if you TI and then Lori fits their Age timeline he’s 26 years old you know what I’m saying uh SE

Yak’s up there in age I think he fits for a different type of team but OKC they’re in the the perfect position right now this core is basically everyone sign through 2026 SGA who’s obviously on an extension but you got Dort making 17 mil Chad’s going to be on

His rookie contract jayen Williams on his rookie contract case and Wallace like the core of this team is signed through 2026 so you could go out there and still you know give money to uh to Lori and not be like oh my God we’re going to hit the second apron we’re not

Going to be able to trade picks or buy a market like you’re still going to have plenty of money to work with where you don’t really have to worry about that and bringing in Lori I don’t think it hinders the development of a ched or a

Jay dub of course he’s going to have the ball in his hand a little bit more than those guys but they’re still able to get there as without you see the way that s handles that offense Lori marinan is not going to impact the way that chat’s

Going to get his if they need to give the ball to chat to get his if he has a mismatch they’ll do that in situations like we saw last night hey we have so many options jayd duub you have Jason Tatum on you we still believe in you to

Get a bucket like that I think that having a plethora of players that can get their is in different ways makes you versatile and it makes it hard for opposing defenses to play against you I think Lori helped help their spacing I don’t think he helps their size issue

He’s 7 foot but he doesn’t play like he’s s foot I I don’t think he’s going to help their rebounding tremendously and when you do play him you’re now playing Chad and him together which are two seven-footers and Chad can switch out but last two seasons you’ve been a

Good rebounder though now you have somebody in Lori that defenses I mean offenses in the playoffs will hunt Lori in that match up they will attack him on on on on switches I don’t trust Lori in that situation so I think he helps out the three-point shooting and he helps out their offense

For sure I don’t know how much he helps out their defense that’s why I think right now what the OKC Thunder need more than anything I don’t think they need more offense I think they need legitimate defensive Stoppers that can stop opposing great perimeter players in the playoffs because while we know you

Know SGA is a great defender D’s a great defender I think JB’s a great defender as well those guards Off the Bench are still young like k w is a great defender but how will he look in a playoff setting first time being in the playoffs he’s been pretty amazing so far this

Year it’s also in the playoffs you just face bigger teams so would I rather have Cas or bring in an ALICE Caruso who’s 65 who can legitimately guard and Josh gidy I I agree with you I think he’s a liability Isaiah Joe’s the Intriguing one to me because Isaiah Joe is an

Average Defender but this is I mean Isaiah Joe’s impact I think gets severely slept on in what he’s meant to OKC in 1,81 possessions this season where Isaiah Joe has been on the floor with SGA Isaiah Joe is recording 16 and a half points per game shooting nine

Threes per 75 possessions 44% on those threes and OKC has an offense rating of 126. six when they were on the floor together and Mark day not has done an amazing job with their minutes because two 214 of SGA and Isaiah Joe’s 51 minutes so a little less than half they

Have come with the other team having two or fewer starters in so they Mark Doo has done an amazing job putting s and Isaiah Joe in lineups against bench players and the production has been through the roof they’re plus 26.5 in those minutes but even when four more

Starters are in that lineup is still a positive lineup Isaiah Joe has really brought life to their spacing and I think right now their best lineup is SGA Jaylen Williams Isaiah Joe Chad and I’m missing one more and D but I think that they need a little bit more defensive

Depth and that’s why I would trade for some bigger guards I think they need bigger guards because I don’t I love Chad in the center row I don’t really think that he needs to stop playing Center as much and like I said I don’t know if Lori helps out the rebounding so

Much and the rebounding offensive rebounding wise they’re terrible but defensive rebounding they’re around average they’re 17th in defensive rebounding so a little less than average but I think if you get some bigger guards in there or a bigger Wing that can help out your rebound thing is the

The and it’s it’s kind of a crutch because I was thinking while you were talking like they need a defensive I was thinking of Nick Clon like I was legitimately thinking of that’s a guy they put him at the five they put shed at the four that’s a scary line but

Here’s the difference here’s the thing like the problem SGA and Jay dub they love the inside game they love to be in the paint they love to you know get the mid-range and because sh’s at the five because although dorts is left wide open when they put Joe in there they have so

Much space in the paint or in the mid-range game if you bring Lori in there now that’s a five out offense that’s an offense that you give SGA clearance to the rim you give Jay duve clearance to the rim and I think that’s like part of their game so it’s tough

For sure because you do need 17th rebound is nuts and then you play teams it the thing about the West though outside of Minnesota and Denver I don’t and like it’s not many teams that are really like their front court is like a big interior like the Clippers is a fine

Matchup for them you know their front court is small the Warriors fine match up for them um the Pelicans is not a crazy matchup because valent TR is GNA get outplayed he’s gonna get played off the court anyways you know so they’ll play like AAR ant who’s 68 69 and then

Zion 66 so it’s not an insane matchup you knowers Lakers is another that’s a problem ads you know he but they they seem like they played him fine um but there isn’t like in the in the East is more of the issue you know you got

Philly you got the heat you got Boston you got Milwaukee like those are the interior defense and the West is kind of more perimeter oriented and stuff like that so I think they’ll be all right you know once again this is this is a learning experience you know if they get

To the playoffs it’s really interesting to see how they’re going to look the lineup with with Lori if I’m not mistaken would be SGA be dorts it’d be jayd duub it’d be Lori and then it’d be Chad that sounds perfect to me offensively yeah and defensively is fine

Too you you have enough Defenders around Lori too L’s not a bad Defender he’s just it’s I just don’t think Lori helps you in a match up against Anthony Davis I don’t think he does no Chad Chad obviously as the RoR waiting around the I’m saying the the sio is not doing that

The size right now OKC struggles with rebounding and with size I think Lori helps out their spacing offensively but even though he’s seven foot I don’t think he helps them in those size matchups I don’t think that he helps them in a matchup against joic or

Anthony Davis so I think does I mean there’s there’s not but there are players that are stronger that at least have a strong base that can kind of take on that impact and still have chat behind them and roam around I think they need somebody I need

They need a backup center but there’s no backup center on the trade market that you can just get right [Laughter] now [Laughter] la

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