Analyzing Hypothetical Trades for the OKC Thunder

When an NBA team is at the top of the standings, trade rumors are bound to start appearing.

Currently standing at second place in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are beginning to feel those trade rumors once again upon its early success.

With the amount of young talent and draft picks the Thunder hold, it makes for an easy team to hypothesize trade ideas for. Oklahoma City has many assets at its disposal to make a splash in the trade market, or simply add a supporting piece to help round of its roster.

Both The Ringer and Bleacher Report have included the Thunder in recent trade articles, with both adding veterans to its vastly inexperienced roster.

The Ringer Trade:

OKC gets: Andre Drummond

CHI gets: Tre Mann and future second-round pick

As great as the Thunder has been this season, rebounding is a looming issue that needs to be addressed.

Oklahoma City is one of the worst rebounding teams in the entire NBA, ranking 27th in rebounds per game and dead-last in defensive rebounding rate, while giving up the most second chance points.

Andre Drummond would definitely help solve that. He's been one of the league's premier rebounders practically his entire career, even though his role has diminished in recent years. In just 13 minutes per game, the 6-foot-11 center is averaging 6.9 rebounds – ranking just behind rookie Chet Holmgren on the Thunder roster.

It would be a relatively cheap answer to a large problem, likely costing just a second-round pick. Drummond could also fit into one of the two trade exceptions Oklahoma City currently has, although it would need to clear a roster spot.

Tre Mann was the listed compensation, which might be considered too much. Both are on expiring contracts, although Mann will become a restricted free agent. Even though the 22-year-old has clear talent, he has yet to find his place on the Thunder roster, which could be a reason to deal him before the deadline.

Trading for Drummond wouldn't be the most ground-breaking trade in the world, but having a strong glass cleaner to utilize against certain matchups could prove useful in the playoffs.

Bleacher Report Trade:

OKC gets: Bojan Bogdanovic

DET gets: Davis Bertans, Ousmane Dieng and a 2029 first-round pick.

Here's where it gets a little more into a win-now mode.

The Detroit Pistons are in a very dark place, currently going through a 21-game losing streak to kick off their 2023-24 campaign. They have just two wins out of 24 games thus far, meaning veteran Bojan Bogdanovic is almost certainly going to be moved by the deadline.

The forward is averaging 20.6 points on 41% shooting from 3-point range, with a high volume of 7.8 attempts per game. He's an elite 3-point shooter that could add another dynamic to the Thunder offense, improving the spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even more.

The trade package could end up being a significant amount for Bogdanovic, which could turn heads away from the Thunder making the deal.

In the hypothetical trade, Oklahoma City would be sending off Ousmane Dieng – its 11th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft – and a first-round pick at the end of the decade. That is a steep asking price for the 34-year-old, who may not have many more seasons left of 20 point per game production.

Dieng has shown glimpses of becoming a high-upside player, including an 18 point performance against the Utah Jazz on Monday. Although minutes on the main roster have been hard to come by this season, he's still only 20-years-old with lots of room to grow.

Bogdanovic would be a solid addition to the Thunder, and could certainly be an important piece in a playoff run. For the perceived asking price however, it might be too much for the value he would add in the long term.

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