OKC Thunder Could Keep an ‘Eye Toward the Future’ at the Trade Deadline

Oklahoma City will certainly be a team to keep an eye on when the trade deadline rolls around. The Thunder have as much ammo to make a move as anyone in the NBA. The craziest part, though, is that they really don’t need to make a move.

The Thunder will take a conference-best 37-9 record into the new month of February. Most of the discussion surrounding the team has revolved around what they are doing on the court, which is a change of pace from the last few seasons. Oklahoma City has always been active in trade rumors because of the assets and draft picks. Now, with the best team in the NBA, there's less of a need at the deadline.

Oklahoma City is positioned well for the new CBA, and the core is mostly locked down. Extensions are on the horizon, but the Thunder will be able to extend anyone it wants. Keeping the team together would be an expensive bill, but it's possible.

In an ESPN article, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps collaborated to detail how the top three teams in the Western Conference are approaching the trade deadline. OKC isn't expected to be aggressive or make any eye-popping moves, but that doesn't mean they won't at least look around. Looking around could even get them a better offer, too, as rival teams don't seem to be expecting movement.

"With all their draft picks [15 firsts and 17 seconds between now and 2031], they can do anything, but they benefit if they can convince everyone they plan to do nothing [at the deadline]," one general manager told Brian Windhorst in the ESPN article. "Every team that wants to deal with them will want them to overpay. Plus, teams who want to make a trade will want to engage them because it would raise the price for everyone else."

According to Windhorst, though, the The Thunder have "let it be known from the start of training camp" that they won't be aggressive at the trade deadline, and that's easily believable. Oklahoma City has prioritized a long-term approach over the course of the rebuild, and the front office has positioned itself to be able to have sustained success for years to come.

If the Thunder dish out max contracts to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, which is expected, as well as pick up Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein's team options, the Thunder will certainly have a large payroll. That's why preparation for that moment in the future is critical.

"That would, as of now, have the Thunder staring at a payroll of roughly $191 million for seven players, basically ensuring Oklahoma City would be in the luxury tax," Tim Bontemps wrote. "And that's before the following season, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be starting a supermax extension that would begin at a staggering $72 million if current projections hold.

"So any deal that happens now, sources told me, would have to be made with an eye toward the future, as the salaries for this burgeoning young core start to get wildly more expensive."

Oklahoma City's trade deadline approach seems simple, and the ESPN report backs it up. The team doesn't need to do anything, and any move would just be the cherry on top to one of the league's best rosters. Because of this, it makes sense for management to keep its eyes towards the future. Kicking draft picks down the road and finding a way to sustain this success later on will be key.

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