The Oklahoma City Thunder have more assets to trade than any other NBA franchise.
Since the franchise began “tanking” by moving Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, general manager Sam Presti has been on an asset acquisition spree. As a result, the Thunder currently have a far higher number of draft picks than any other NBA team. If an opposition team wants to wager against their future, Oklahoma City possesses picks from across the NBA that they can combine in a potential trade.
However, after trading away Josh Giddey, the Thunder lack a “blue chip” prospect to deploy in their quest of a difference maker, which is unfortunate given the Utah Jazz reportedly want to include a potential player as well as choices in any trade for Lauri Markkanen.
Still, the Thunder aren’t devoid of excellent young players, even if they let some go this season, such as Tre Mann, in pursuit of a reliable veteran like Gordon Hayward. The Thunder still have choices in trade talks, and they may put together a very nice offer based on both players and picks that the Jazz may be unable to turn down, even if it is not the “perfect” deal.
The key to such a deal might not be Luguentz Dort, but a recent first-round choice from Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France, who has an intriguing offensive game.
Thunder high on Ousmane Dieng
At 6-foot-10, Ousmane Dieng joined the Thunder from the New Zealand Breakers, where he played professionally from 2021 to 2022. He was originally drafted 11th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2022 NBA draft.
Although Dieng didn’t play much for the Thunder in his first two NBA seasons, averaging only 13 minutes per game over 72 games, he did win over Presti, who told reporters after the season that he liked what he saw from the 21-year-old power forward.
“I believe the final several months of the Blue season were crucial for him. Playing in those types of sports entails carrying that level of responsibility. He also — he turned it up developmentally during the postseason for us where he was — we switched his summer program and started it early because we felt he would play for the national team, so we wanted to get as much done with him as we could. But I was really delighted with how he finished the season. “I was very pleased with how he finished the season,” Presti told reporters, per Inside The Thunder. “Like any young player, he has a lot of things to work on. We drafted him when he was over a year old.
“We kind of recognized that his timing and approach would be different, especially from Dub (Jalen Williams), since Dub was someone coming in who we thought could get on the court sooner. But Ous has responded quite effectively. I’m happy with him. I think he’s made some significant progress here.”
With Mann and Giddy gone, and 2024 first-round pick Nikola Topić projected to miss 2024-25 due to a partially damaged ACL, Dieng may be the Thunder’s most intriguing player. If Oklahoma City wants to add high-potential players who can contribute now and in the future, especially massive power forwards who fit the Markkanen mold, Dieng might just be a $5 million throw-in that could make or break a trade alongside Dort.
Is Lauri Markkanen the right player for the Thunder?
The Thunder have Dieng, an intriguing young player whom they may deal, and Dort is regarded as a valued asset throughout the league owing to his defensive mindset. It is possible that he will be considered as a player who could be traded again before the 2025 NBA trade deadline. The only real debate is whether the Thunder should target Markkanen as one of the major swings they’ve been working toward for years.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the Thunder’s top ball handler. Williams is the team’s change-of-pace driver, a role he formerly held alongside James Harden. Chet Holmgren has been named the team’s primary big man for the foreseeable future. To compete with clubs like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder simply need to add shooters, defenders, and players with size on the court.
Markkanen stands seven feet tall and shoots 39.5% from three-point range. He also has a flair for getting rebounds off the glass. The best thing about pursuing the Jazz forward is that his $18 million cap figure is highly lucrative. The signing of Markkanen would assure that the Thunder always had a super-sized sharpshooter who is impossible to defend from the outside. This generates unique matchup opportunities that few teams can counter.
When you consider Alex Caruso, who is similar to Dort but has a stronger outside shot, the timing seems perfect for the Thunder to acquire a one-of-a-kind player like Markkanen. By sending Dort, Dieng, and a slew of lottery picks to the Jazz, the Thunder would instantly become Western Conference favorites.
