NBA Mock Trade: Trail Blazers Target Thunder Forward Kenrich Williams
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Bleacher Report’s 1 Trade for Oklahoma City Before 2022 Training Camp
The the 2022-23 NBA regular season in sight, Bleacher Report has rolled out its final trade scenarios for all 30 NBA teams before officially entering into another season.
With Kevin Durant the domino not likely to fall, other teams can finally begin moving assets and re-structuring their rosters in anticipation for their NBA finals run or subsequent NBA Draft Lottery selections.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, B/R seems to think it will be the latter.
“At some point in the not-so-distant future, the Thunder will start converting some of their long-term assets into win-now accelerators. Is that time likely to be now? Not at all. OKC has plenty of young talent to develop, plus it must want to maximize its lottery odds for a draft class headlined by Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson.”
Johnson was the 21st pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and has potential upside in a few lacking areas in Oklahoma City. He’s a freakish athlete will great intangibles that could need just a little developmental push to find real success in the league.
Bleacher Report also figures Williams can give Portland a bit of a boost with a re-tooled roster.
David Butler II / USA TODAY Sports
“The 27-year-old seems a touch too experienced for OKC, but he could hit the ground running in Portland. He's an energizing role player who can defend multiple positions and consistently make the smart, simple reads. If his three-ball drops, he could handle a sizable role for a win-now club.”
Here is the Portland-OKC trade:
Oklahoma City receives: Keon Johnson and a 2024 second round pick
Portland receives: Kenrich Williams (can’t be traded until Jan. 16)
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