Should Thunder Take Aggressive Approach at Trade Packages Like Pacers?
During the early part of the 2023-24 campaign, one of the most exciting storylines has been how many young teams have arisen as playoff caliber squads. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic are just a few examples of teams that meet this criteria.
When these things happen, the natural next step is internal pressure to continue pushing forward. In fact, this is exactly what the Pacers are looking to do, hoping to maximize the superstar level play of Tyrese Haliburton, who has arguably been the best point guard in the NBA this seaosn.
“This is a team with salary cap space and draft picks,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “He [Haliburton] knows his team President, Kevin Pritchard, has been really aggressive in the past year trying to chase players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby in Toronto. Offering big trade packages for players who could become free agents in the near future.”
The logic makes sense. When a team has a blossoming superstar, you certainly want to maximize the opportunity to win. With that in mind, Oklahoma City is in a unique situation in which patience can be had.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still young, his best years are still ahead of him, and Oklahoma City has the assets to pull the trigger on nearly any move. As such, if the right trade to maximize his talent does appear, it's worth exploring. However, if it's not the perfect fit, there's no need to attempt to force another star to fit alongside him in the Thunder system.
In short, Oklahoma City should remain patient, especially if there's other young teams on the market looking to add talent and win short-term.
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