The Oklahoma City Thunder entered their NBA Cup final matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at 20-5. They topped what was arguably the toughest group in the Western Conference, with a 3-1 record and a +45 point differential. All signs were pointing up for the Thunder until the second half. Pretty quickly, it was apparent that the Thunder would not be walking away with their first trophy in a long time.
While the Milwaukee Bucks were the best team in the NBA over the last 15 games heading into the NBA Cup Final (13-2), they are hardly a team that should be completely outclassing a team like the Thunder. With so many issues at hand for Oklahoma City, many fans are wondering what is wrong with the Oklahoma City Thunder. And, is this something that can be fixed?
Are the Thunder True Championship Contenders?
Luckily for the Thunder, their problem is incredibly easy to see. Unfortunately for their front office, it’s not quite so easy to fix. If the Oklahoma City Thunder want to contend for a championship, they need another true scorer outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While Oklahoma City has a fantastic record, they are just 2-2 when Gilgeous-Alexander shoots under 40%.
Knowing what the issue with OKC is, the problem now becomes what the Thunder can do about it. Luckily, Oklahoma City has an incredible stash of draft capital. While general manager Sam Presti may prefer to stash picks as opposed to trading them away, he surely understands that the current makeup of the team is not one that can bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Altogether, the Thunder have 14 first-round picks they can play with over the next five years. Most importantly, they have the first-round picks of the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz, two teams who are currently among the bottom six teams in the league. These picks alone are worth their weight in gold as they have very limited protections, with Philadelphia’s only protected for the first six picks and Utah’s protected for the first 10.
Simply put, the Oklahoma City Thunder trade assets are aplenty even without moving a player. The question becomes what player can get the Thunder what they need to get to the next level? The answer lies not too far away in New Orleans.
Possible Oklahoma City Trade Target: Brandon Ingram
The New Orleans Pelicans started the season just 5-25 and are struggling to not only stay healthy, but also stay close to their opponents. The Pelicans are 1-9 over their last 10 games and are outscored by over 11 points per game on average.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder currently above the second apron, they are at a disadvantage as they can only receive the same amount of cap space that they send out. Essentially, they can’t just trade picks for a player. Even with that limitation, there is still a trade that can help out the Thunder.
Proposed Trade:
Thunder receive: Brandon Ingram
Pelicans receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Kenrich Williams, Philadelphia’s first-round pick, & Utah’s first-round pick.
While I understand that the Thunder just signed Isaiah Hartenstein, they don’t really need him at center. The Thunder like to play small as it is, so losing Hartenstein won’t cripple them as losing a starting center usually would. While Brandon Ingram does have just one year left on his deal, he gives the Thunder their best shot at a title and the Thunder could very easily persuade him to resign as one of the few contenders.
The issue with the Thunder in the NBA Cup Final wasn’t their height. It was the fact that once an opposing team shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder struggled to get anything going. By pairing Brandon Ingram with SGA, the Thunder would give him not only another great player to play with but would alleviate some of the pressure on him as well.
With plenty of picks still left to stash, trading for Brandon Ingram not only makes OKC the favorites in the Western Conference right now, but it also still allows them to build a strong core with their future draft picks.
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