Should the OKC Thunder be Active in Trade Market This Season?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is entering a potentially electric season. They jumped from 24 wins two seasons ago to 40 wins last season -- an impressive 16-win jump. But what's next?

Superstars are disgruntled often. They become complacent with their situation with the current team, and the idea of forcing their way into a better situation becomes glamorized and sought after by NBA fans.

That's right where Damian Lillard and James Harden have landed themselves right now. In their perfect world, they can make their way to their ideal landing spots, though that's not to the benefit of anyone, and those two have no leverage.

Neither player has a no-trade clause, and if their desired teams made a trade for them, it would be at the detriment of their future assets and current depth -- making the new situation just as undesirable long-term.

One team, however, that wouldn't face that situation is the Thunder. The team has a warchest of future draft picks and the entire core of the team is built around young players.

The Thunder is a unique team that could make a blockbuster trade for a star while maintaining enough depth and future assets to remain a contender for a long time.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix is already jumping on the idea.

"If OKC is in the middle of the Western Conference playoff field, would the Thunder consider a move for Lillard? Oklahoma City has the assets Portland is looking for (young players and draft picks)," Mannix writes. "And while most teams have flinched at Lillard’s contract (which runs through 2027), the Thunder—which would never be able to sign a player of Lillard’s caliber in free agency—may not mind it as much."

Evidently, the juice might not be worth the squeeze from the Thunder's front office. As a franchise, the tone of voice used during the rebuild has screamed patience -- which has been reiterated plenty of times by team personnel, including general manager Sam Presti.

This team is going to sit on its hands and let this season unfold so they can get an idea of what they have and where they're at before any substantial changes happen with the roster and future assets.

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