NBA Rumors: Exploring the plausibility of one absolutely wild trade idea that would help get the Oklahoma City Thunder over the championship hump.
By all indications, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to enter the postseason as one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship this season. They appear to have all the pieces in place and without another defined favorite in the Western Conference, this could very well be their year to finally break through. Whether they'll be able to finish the job of winning a title this season remains to be seen.
Interestingly enough, you can't help but wonder what may lie ahead of this team heading into the offseason if they do fall short of a title. Will anything change for the team? Will there be an added level of urgency if they fall short? It's one of those things we don't necessarily need to think about yet but a very realistic scenario that could play out over the next few months.
One NBA analyst and podcaster, Bill Simmons, had one absolutely wild trade idea that the Thunder should explore if they fall short of winning a championship this season. The hypothetical trade would revolve around OKC trading up to eight first-round picks on NBA Draft night in exchange for the right to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick.
Is Cooper Flagg worth eight first-round picks?
As laughable as this idea may seem, because it is pretty bold and probably will never happen, it is an interesting idea. The Thunder would get a clear second superstar to play next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, especially if you believe in Flagg, and the team would be essentially all-in on this core. Plus, trading away some of their extra first-round picks that they have lined up over the next few years could do them favors they aren't even thinking of at the moment.
The big question is whether Flagg is worth eight first-round picks. Initially, no. I'm not sure there's any player in the league right now that is worth that. Maybe Victor Wembanyama? Even then, that would be a tough sell for any franchise. But the idea of Flagg in OKC is quite appealing. With the way the standings are at the moment, that's a pretty unlikely scenario to play out at the 2025 NBA Draft. Unless, of course, the Thunder are willing to trade a record-breaking amount of first-round picks for an unproven young player.
It's a pretty interesting idea nonetheless, and it does highlight the possibility of a big move potentially on the horizon for the Thunder if they were to fall short of making a deep playoff run this season.