Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti often gets praised for what he’s built in OKC, but at the end of the day, the Thunder still haven’t won a title under Presti.
While Presti is undoubtedly masterful at acquiring young talent while stockpiling picks and maintaining cap flexibility, the Thunder haven’t had much playoff success over the better part of the last decade.
The last time OKC reached a Western Conference Finals was in 2016 when the Thunder famously blew a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors.
Presti’s completely revamped OKC since the days of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, but the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander era hasn’t produced any postseason glory, and Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t a baby by NBA standards at age 26 — he’s in his sixth season with OKC.
Sitting on a wealth of assets, is Presti going to pounce on a blockbuster trade at some point to push SGA’s Thunder into the realm of being overwhelming favorites to win it all from a roster perspective?
Or, is Presti content with watching the current core of SGA, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams (surrounded by substantial and mostly youthful depth) mature into a perennial contender?
It’s a fascinating question that many NBA fans are wondering about.
The average Thunder fan will tell you that OKC has more than enough talent to stay put and play this season out, but it’s hard to ignore the explosive possibility of trading for, say, Zach LaVine, who the Chicago Bulls have been trying to move forever.
LaVine’s contract might be massive, but the Thunder could snag him without giving up any stars. A basic, two-for-one deal sending the two Isaiahs of OKC (Hartenstein and Joe) to Chicago would work financially for LaVine.
Not only would LaVine provide a veteran presence to the Thunder’s young locker room, but he’d immediately serve as the second option in the playoffs behind SGA that Jalen Williams might not be fully ready to embrace yet (he wasn’t last playoffs, at least).
There’s also the fact that LaVine is starving to play for a winning team and would probably experience a burst of energy and motivation by being traded to a contender like OKC.
Giving up Hartenstein would be a tough pill for the Thunder to swallow, but if they feel they can roll with Holmgren and Jaylin Williams at the center position once Holmgren returns from injury, the potential benefits of a LaVine deal are worth considering.
LaVine would make OKC’s offense horrifying to other teams around the league. Guarding SGA, LaVine, and Jalen Williams on the perimeter would cause serious issues for practically any defense.
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