Kenrich Williams' Price is set, who Could be Interested?
It’s hard to measure Kenrich Williams’ value on the Thunder.
He’s the heart and soul of a roster chock-full of youngsters learning their craft on the fly. One of the most steady presences on the roster, “Kenny Hustle” does seem to have a set value if another team were to acquire his talents.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported Thursday that The Thunder would ask for a first-round pick in exchange for the 27-year-old.
Williams could always be packed along with a player like Mike Muscala or Ty Jerome plus some picks to go and get the next piece in the Thunder’s future core, but it seems as though the likelier option would be for Williams to be traded to a contender for draft capital going the other way.
The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto recently reported that Williams has a desire to retire in Oklahoma city, but his long term home shouldn’t dissuade Thunder GM Sam Presti to make a move for the remainder of this season.
A trade for the remainder of this season could be the most beneficial move for all parties involved; Williams gets to finish the year out on a contender and try for a run in the playoffs, and the Thunder get yet another future asset for the wing with the ability to resign his to a longer-term deal in the offseason.
Williams is averaging 7.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists this season coming off the bench for OKC. Put that together with stellar defense, a 38.5% average from behind the arc and the positional flexibility to fill in 1 through 4, Williams is an enticing proposition to virtually every contender — for the right price.
So, who could be interested in Williams? And where would he best fit?
The Los Angeles Lakers seem like the obvious choice. With Injuries to its Big 3 derailing most of the season, the Lakers still sit ninth in the Western Conference — tied with its LA counterpart Clippers for eighth.
The Lakers have future firsts to offer, but with Stanley Johnson having just signed a guaranteed contract it’s unclear whether or not there would still be interest there.
The Denver Nuggets could be an interesting destination. Currently the No. 6-seed in the West, the Nuggets are firmly in the playoff race and with just a 2.5 game lead on the Lakers, could use a boost to avoid the play-in.
With Michael Porter Jr. out for the season, Denver could do with some reinforcements in the forward position.
OKC already has a lottery protected pick for Denver in 2023 and getting that fully unprotected could be enough to sway the Thunder front office.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the hunt for the playoffs for the first time in four year and might want to capitalize on the opportunity and add another piece to compliment the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota’s key players are all either guards or big men, so Williams would fit right in on the wing.
With a Ben Simmons trade not seeing any closer to happening now than it was in August, the Philadelphia 76ers could be in the market for another defensive stopper to surround Joel Embiid with. The 76ers have repeatedly entered the playoffs in recent years with a lack of shooting and Williams could help make sure that doesn’t happen this time around.
There aren’t many two-way wings on the trade market this year, so thankfully for the Thunder Williams is going to be near the top of any team’s list leading up to Feb. 10.
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