Thunder Rumors: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, More
In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by Inside the Thunder’s Derek Parker to discuss all things Oklahoma City Thunder, who have shown flashes of their full potential early on this season.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s All-Star Game & Most Improved Player Campaign [2:28]
The identity of the Oklahoma City Thunder lies in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, as he has once again proven to be one of the young, underrated stars in this league.
Having to deal with some injuries last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was unable to fully prove what he is made of, but so far this season, he looks like one of the best overall scorers in this league and he has cemented himself as the face of this franchise in Oklahoma City for many years to come.
Currently ranked second in scoring this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander certainly has a chance to make his first All-Star game appearance, as well as potentially win the league’s Most Improved Player award [2:28].
Parker [2:43]: “He’s been unbelievable. I think a lot of Thunder fans and a lot of people around Oklahoma City in general expected that he could be better than he has been in the past, but not many expected it to be like this though. Second in the entire league in scoring, a bad night for him is 23 points on 40 percent shooting, you talk about Most Improved Player and he has to be the favorite there. If they had won five or six more games to this point, I think that middle letter in MIP might be a different conversation.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Future In Oklahoma City [5:00]
Ever since last season, many have been quick to point out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as being a potential “hot name” on the trade block around the league.
Multiple teams would show significant interest in the young, likely soon-to-be first time All-Star if he was made available, but the Thunder have shown no indications at this time that they are willing to move Gilgeous-Alexander.
Brett and Derek talked about Shai’s value to the Thunder and why trading him really does not help the Thunder in any way.
Siegel: Sam Presti and the Thunder have no intentions of trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and it makes no sense for them to want to move him either. He’s in the first year of a brand new five-year deal with OKC and I really do not see any reason why they should even entertain the idea of moving him at this point. I mean, if I was to play devil’s advocate here, maybe the Thunder could get 2-3 really solid players, one possibly having All-Star-like potential, as well as a handful of draft picks, but why do this in all honesty?
Parker: I think a lot of these trade “rumors” surrounding SGA came from the fact that they drafted another lead guard in Josh Giddey last season. They are not a perfect fit and they have been working through the kinks with one another on the floor, but there is just no reason in my mind to give up a guy like this. He’s 24-years-old, he’s in the first year of a new five-year deal. Let’s just give everything a little more time. If things don’t work out down the road, I still think the Thunder will be able to maximize his trade value in Year 3 or 4 of his new contract. It would almost be unprecedented to trade a guy like Shai that is playing at this level at this point in his young career.
Impacts Of Aleksej Pokusevski & Jalen Williams To The Thunder [6:45]
Obviously guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren, even though he has not played in a single game this season, dominate the headlines for the Thunder and highlight this roster.
However, both Aleksej Pokusevski and rookie Jalen Williams have carved out key roles in this team’s rotations on a nightly basis and they have helped form what is one of the better, young cores in this league.
Having depth is extremely important in the NBA right now and both Pokusevski and Williams provide the Thunder with a very unique path moving forward [6:45].
Parker [7:16]: “Pokusevski was, for all intensive purposes, the first player that kind of kicked off the rebuild in Oklahoma City. He was the project pick to end all project picks. He was, is and will continue to be one of the most polarizing players in the entire league. Over the last two years, we really haven’t seen what his ‘end-all’ is in the NBA. This year, finally, that role is beginning to crystalize. He won’t be a guy that leads the team, but we are looking at him now as this kind of secondary playmaker and a guy who can set a screen and then knock down a shot from the perimeter. For a team that will be getting Chet Holmgren back next season, they just drafted Ousmane Dieng, Josh Giddey is a jumbo-guard, Shai and Jalen Williams both have 7-foot wingspan; Poku just makes them even bigger and longer.”
As for Jalen Williams, he recently earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors and he continues to mold himself into a key talent for the Thunder, filling whatever role they need him in.
Brett and Derek assessed Williams’ recent play and went into detail about why he has filled such a key role in his rookie season [8:30].
Siegel: Williams is a guy not a lot knew coming out of Santa Clara, but he rose up draft boards at the combine and I actually got the chance to talk with him one-on-one before the draft. I’ll tell you what, he is such a good kid. He’s humble, he’s a hard worker, and he just has this jubilant energy and attitude that has really resonated with his teammates. Williams is not afraid of any challenge that presents itself to him and that’s one of the reasons why he was named Rookie of the Month. Where do you see him fitting in the big picture with this team past this season?
Parker: You hit it on the head about him being a good kid. I mean, Presti said it, I think this was the end of season interview last year. He said that they draft people, not players. At the time, people laughed at this and mocked the Thunder for it. Of course you draft basketball players and then they draft Jalen Williams, who is the epitome of what Presti stated. This guy is one of the nicest kids and he is exactly who you want playing for your team. When you get to his on-court product, his versatility is what really stands out. There really is not anything he can’t do and the sky’s the limit across the board for his long-term fit with this team. I’m sure many did not expect this from him, but I’ll tell you what, I am sure Jalen Williams expected this from Jalen Williams.
Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazely and Oklahoma City’s Approach To The Trade Deadline [10:30]
The Thunder and general manager Sam Presti never tip their hand when it comes to trade talks and they are always very quiet about what their intentions are.
Having a plethora of draft assets through the years, it is reasonable to believe that Oklahoma City wants to build a long-term, sustainable core through the draft, but that does not necessarily mean that they will not look to capitalize on the value of some of their players, especially if they do not see a long-term future with some of them.
Luguentz Dort is a player many other teams in the league have inquired about through the months and have shown interest in because of his defensive intensity out on the wing. Darius Bazley is another young player that has room for growth, but his time in Oklahoma City has not been the best through the years.
Both players could carry some value into this season’s trade deadline, giving the Thunder some options on how they want to approach trade discussions [10:30].
Parker [11:18]: “There’s always a caveat that comes along with the Oklahoma City Thunder and trade talks in that they really want to build their team from the inside up and then add pieces from there. They will not add players just to add players and they will not trade players just to trade players either. With that being said, if there was a firmly established player on this roster that could get dealt, Lu Dort would probably be this guy due to fit. He definitely has some attributes the Thunder really like, but he is not a lengthy, versatile player like others on this roster and he may have already peaked in terms of potential. On the other side of things though, it is great to have a player like Dort who can defend virtually any player in this league. I don’t see them moving him. They just signed him to a long-term deal and they would not have done so if they wanted to move him.”
As for Darius Bazley, he is still 22-years-old and is now in the final year of his rookie contract, which could cause the Thunder to lean towards pursuing trade opportunities for him, that is unless they view him as a long-term building block and will look to extend his contract in the offseason.
Bazley has definitely shown flashes of his full potential, but he has also struggled at times to solidify his role on this team. Brett and Derek talked about Bazley’s role on the Thunder and what the trade market could look like for a player like him.
Siegel: When Bazley was drafted in the first-round back in 2019, he was one of the youngest players in the whole league and now he’s still only 22-years-old. What’s your mindset on how Bazley’s development has gone and your opinion on whether the Thunder should look to trade him?
Parker: He was, what I categorize as, the last player pre-rebuild. So, once Presti realized they were going in a new direction, Darius Bazley was really the last player they selected. As far as development, it probably has not gone how he or the front-office expected. Defensively, he has turned into an anchor for this team and while he has not played a lot of minutes, he has looked like a real positive when he’s been on the court. His length, size and athleticism are three things you cannot teach, so it will be interesting to see if they give up on this project.
Siegel: I really like Bazley and I’ve been a fan of his potential since he entered the NBA Draft back in 2019. I had him as a Top-10 guy in that draft for two reasons. The first is because of his athleticism and the second was because of what you said with his versatility and his length to impact the game defensively. But if you look at this team’s roster as a whole, I’m not sure where Bazley fits into the equation. I think Bazley is right on the border of being the 10th, 11th, even the 12th guy in the rotations. You just drafted Ousmane Dieng, you still have Kenrich Williams who you extended, they have Pokusevski, Jalen Williams. I just don’t see where Darius Bazley stands out on this roster right now.
