NBA Trade Rumors: The Oklahoma City Thunder must avoid this 1 potential huge mistake at the NBA Trade Deadline.
With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching, many teams will have important decisions to make concerning which players to keep and who to trade away. The Oklahoma City Thunder have proven to be one of the legit title contenders, and despite the injuries to a few key players, the team has still been able to perform at an elite level and is currently sitting comfortably in the top spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder are ahead in the standings by six games and even though they are thriving, there always exists the possibility of the front office making a move to help fortify the roster.
It always seems like there is that one player who is on the market who could come in and change the outcome of a team's fortunes. Thunder sharpshooter Isaiah Joe's name has been recently mentioned in trade speculation and it remains to be seen whether the front office would be willing to deal him away. General manager Sam Presti has done an excellent job constructing this roster over the past few seasons, and it's hard to envision him dealing away a player of Joe's caliber.
Why Isaiah Joe needs to be a mainstay for the Oklahoma City Thunder
If the team is considering trading him, they may want to go back to the drawing board and strongly consider holding on to him for the foreseeable future. Joe is only 25 years old, and with the way NBA offenses have evolved with the spacing and the stretch 4s and stretch 5s, it seems like shooters like Joe would be in high demand, and rightfully so.
Over the past 10 years, the league has seen a three-point revolution as coaches have prioritized spacing and shooting. According to NBA.com, the number of three-point attempts has increased in each of the previous 10 seasons, from 22.2 percent in 2010-11 to 39.2 percent in 2020-21. That trend doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon as teams have placed importance on finding shooters who strategically fit into their system.
Last season proved to be the highest league average in terms of 3-point attempts per game in history with 39.5 percent, which is a 0.8 percent increase from the previous season. Unless a team offers the Thunder a package they just can't refuse, they should hold on to Joe.
Joe had one of the best games of his career as the New York Knicks had no answers for him as he was 2 points short of matching his career high of 33 points as he shot 11 of 16 and 8 of 11 from beyond the arc which was a career-high. If the Thunder lacks anything it is consistent three-point shooting as a whole. According to ESPN.com the Thunder attempt the 11th most three-pointers in the NBA but place in the bottom half of the league percentage-wise as they are 18th in the NBA.
As well as head coach Mike Daigneault has his squad playing, the three-point shooting may be the only thing the team needs to focus on improving. During media availability after the victory against the Knicks, a reporter asked Daigneault about how Joe was able to remain consistent with his work and approach and what led up to his big game.
"We know he's capable of it. He's had it before and he hasn't shot the ball this season the way he's wanted to. We were kind of waiting for a game like this, at least I was. It was about a matter of time. Great confidence by him. He just continues to shoot the right ones, hasn't pressed or gotten timid at all and he continues to play a great floor game through the ups and downs of his shooting, so I was happy for him, it was an unbelievable performance."Mike Daigneault on Joe
Isaiah Joe's Career Averages | Isaiah Joe (2024-25) Season Averages |
|---|---|
1.8 three-pointers made per game | 2.2 three-pointers made per game |
4.7 three-pointers attempted per game | 5.9 three-pointers attempted per game |
37.8 percent three-point field goal percentage | 36.6 percent three-point field goal percentage |
The Thunder have one of the best player development programs when it comes to molding their younger talent and the biggest factor for Joe has been the opportunity to prove he can produce when the team calls on him as seen in his recent performance against the Knicks. This could play out to be a situation the Thunder could look back on and be grateful if they decide to keep Joe because shooters like him can impact games if they get hot and have proved to be valuable during playoff runs. He is under contract through the 2026-27 season with a player option for the 2027-28 season.