NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting five stars that the Oklahoma City Thunder could target to help them contend in the Western Conference.
Heading into the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are considered to be a potential dark horse in the Western Conference. They have the talent to make some noise in the conference but are far from a surefire playoff team. If their young players continue to make positive strides, there’s a chance OKC could find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race.
Adding a veteran star via trade, however, could completely change the ceiling for the young Thunder. We’ll explore six star players that are somewhat on the trade block that could help the Thunder make the jump to contention this season.
6 Stars the Oklahoma City Thunder could target to make the jump to contention
James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
James Harden clearly wants a trade and while he’d like to be moved to LA, you can’t help but wonder if he’d be OK just playing for another team. Harden is pretty affordable when it comes to the asking price and is on an expiring contract. If Harden would be willing to roll the dice on one season on a young, exciting team, the Thunder would be a great suitor.
Harden started his career in OKC and perhaps there’s somewhat of a storybook ending that would work between the two sides. It may seem unlikely, but Harden with the young Thunder would be quite intriguing.
Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
Now that the Portland Trail Blazers have traded Damian Lillard, it’s probably only a matter of time until they decide to move on from Jerami Grant. I have a feeling the Blazers are going to see if they can be competitive this season but if they get off to a slow start, the trade whispers surrounding Grant are only going to grow louder and louder. Grant is not technically to be traded until January 15, but that should give the Blazers plenty of time to figure out if they want to move him or not.
The Thunder would be an intriguing fit for one of the more underrated power forwards in the NBA. Grant is coming off a season in which he averaged 21 points and five rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s also a proven versatile defender on the other end of the floor.
Grant may not fit the timeline of the young Blazers, but he’d be a great asset for a team that is ready to take a big step forward like the Thunder. After their big summer moves, the Blazers may not be completely done just yet.
O.G. Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
If there is a weak spot in the Oklahoma City Thunder lineup, it’s probably at the small forward position. With all due respect to Lu Dort, if the Thunder could upgrade the position with a dynamic two-way player like O.G. Anunoby, I’m not sure they would shy away from pulling off such a move. However, it would be costly and unless it comes with a contract extension agreement with Anunoby (who could test free agency next summer), a trade could be complicated.
At least on paper, Anunoby would be a great fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Jaylen Williams. Anunoby is said to be looking for a bigger role offensively wherever his next landing spot might be. The Thunder would be able to give him that as he could be viewed as somewhat of a second option next to SGA.
I’m not sure how much of a wise decision that would be for the Thunder, but it’s certainly an interesting potential development.
Who knows what the Raptors end up doing at the NBA Trade Deadline, but perhaps this is the year that they finally decide to blow up their roster and fully embrace the youth movement.
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Piggybacking on the idea that the Toronto Raptors do decide to embrace the youth movement by the NBA Trade Deadline, there’s one other player on the team that would also make sense for the young Thunder to pursue – Pascal Siakam. As one of the most underrated stars in the game, Siakam would be a fit on many other teams in the league. And he’d certainly be an interesting power forward to have next to Chet Holmgren on the defensive end and a dynamic option offensive next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This past season with the Raptors, Siakam averaged a career-high 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from 3-point range. Still just 29 years old, he’d be a great veteran star the Thunder could look to help them make the jump to contender status in the Western Conference.
I’m not sure if the addition of Siakam alone would help the Thunder compete with the likes of the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, but this type of acquisition would certainly legitimize the Thunder as a dangerous team heading into the push toward the playoffs.
DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
Heading into the final year of his contract with the Chicago Bulls, there’s a non-zero chance that DeMar DeRozan ends up being shopped at some point before the NBA Trade Deadline. Even though he may not be a seamless fit, his veteran status and talent could be the small risk that the Oklahoma City Thunder end up pursuing at some point this season. DeRozan would effectively help take some of the offensive pressure off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and give this locker room some much-needed experience.
Taking a flier on DeRozan could end up paying dividends for a Thunder team that’s looking to make a move up the West standings. OKC could probably slide DeRozan at the small forward position and get away with it with the way they can defend in the paint. I suppose the question would then turn into whether the Thunder would have enough 3-point shooting in the starting lineup.
But that’s something they could worry about later. If OKC wanted to take a chance on a veteran star who is on an expiring contract, there are not many better options than DeRozan if he gets to a point where he hits the trade block at some point this season.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
And finally, we have Zach LaVine. There’s a chance that he could be the biggest name that is traded at the NBA Trade Deadline this year. It’s far from a foregone conclusion but there’s an outside chance he ends up being traded. Especially considering that the Chicago Bulls are likely going to struggle to keep pace with some of the other playoff teams that improved their roster during the offseason.
Much like DeMar DeRozan, if the Oklahoma City Thunder would be willing to slide LaVine into the small forward position, this is a transaction that could work. LaVine doesn’t get credit for how good of a player he is and would look even better as a difference-maker if he didn’t have to carry the load of being a No. 1 option. He wouldn’t have to be that in OKC.
LaVine is coming off a season in which he averaged 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 49 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The Thunder are one of those young teams that could be one big acquisition away from emerging as a dark horse contender in the Western Conference. The question for OKC revolves around whether or not now is the time to strike.