NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Make Surprising Splash

With the NBA commerce deadline in simply over every week, it’s the time of 12 months through which everybody across the league makes an attempt to foretell what might occur. There will likely be loads of consumers, in addition to a number of sellers, however it’s but to be seen which groups fall through which class.

On Monday morning, Michael Pina of The Ringer proposed 5 groups that ought to make a transfer on the deadline. One in all these groups was the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. 

Whereas is appears probably that the Thunder will likely be fairly quiet on the deadline, the proposed commerce concept for them can be fairly the splash.

On this mock commerce, Oklahoma Metropolis offers with the San Antonio Spurs to make a push for the play-in.

Oklahoma Metropolis will get: Jakob Poeltl

San Antonio will get: Mike Muscala, OKC’s lottery-protected 2023 first-round choose, and LAC’s unprotected 2024 first-round choose

It will be fairly stunning if the Thunder made this deal. In spite of everything, GM Sam Presti has preached endurance through the rebuild, and this may be the alternative of that. If Oklahoma Metropolis might get Poeltl for affordable, it might make sense. However for a key veteran and two first rounders, one in every of which being unprotected, this deal would not make sense.

Moreover, Poeltl is within the last 12 months of his deal. The Thunder would threat him strolling this summer season if a deal couldn’t be made to maintain him round. That’s a major set of belongings for a possible rental or a man that must be paid. Moreover, he’ll be 28 years previous at the beginning of subsequent season.

Whereas Poeltl can be enjoyable in OKC and actually assist the staff make a playoff push, this transfer is untimely within the present state of the Thunder rebuild.

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