NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Land Wizards' Forward Kristaps Porzingis

The 2023 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are sure to come away with even more talent for its growing core.

But the draft won’t be the only way to land premier talent. Some NBA teams, namely Portland and Washington, could be looking to pivot towards full rebuilds and offload win-now assets in the process. With a cache full of draft picks and upcoming cap space, OKC could be an attractive trade partner.

For those reasons, a deal between the Thunder and Wizards centered around former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis makes some sense.

One interesting wrinkle regarding any potential OKC-Washington deals involves Will Dawkins, who recently took the Wizards essential general manager role after being in the Thunder front office for over a decade. With a familiarity of OKC’s assets and what they’ll likely want for them, Dawkins could expedite a deal between the two franchises.

As for Porzingis’ fit, he recently averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 38 percent from three on 5.5 attempts. With the Thunder, he could slot in as a stretch-four and secondary rim-protector next to Chet Holmgren in the front court. And would provide another big body that the opposition would need to worry about.

If the fit turns out to be a strong one, the Thunder could look to sign him longterm in OKC.

But the Latvian, even with an impending new contract, is coming off one of his best NBA seasons and likely won’t be cheap. He has just one year left on his deal and is set to make around $36 million, should he choose to opt into his deal.

Here’s what a potential Porzingis deal could look like:

Oklahoma City receives: Kristaps Porzingis

Washington receives: Kenrich Williams, Tre Mann, 2024 Rockets FRP

Washington could bide their time and wait for a potential contender to get desperate enough to oversell for Porzingis, meaning they’d likely need a decent amount from OKC to get a deal done.

Kenrich Williams offers Dawkins and co. a solid veteran on a uniquely cheap deal that could help usher in a new of young talent in Washington. Tre Mann is a still-developing young prospect who could use a change of scenery with a longer leash.

But the crown jewel of the deal is the Rockets top-four protected 2024 first round pick, which could very well net Washington a pick anywhere from five to ten in the 2024 NBA Draft.

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