With a 12-1 record, the Oklahoma City Thunder are undeniably the best team in the league. Coming off a convincing 121-92 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, even with a shorthanded roster, the reigning champs asserted their dominance over the Western Conference.
While the Thunder seem poised to make a run at the title again, the competition in the West, especially with teams such as the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets in the mix, seems daunting. On this note, even with one of the most impressive rosters in the NBA, the Thunder could look at making some upgrades.
To do so, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley formulated a trade package that would give OKC the minor boost it may need to solidify its grasp on the NBA championship trophy this year. Here’s Buckley’s proposal:
Proposed Trade Deal
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Grayson Allen, 2027 first-round pick (UTA/CLE/MIN)
Phoenix Suns Receive: Nikola Topic, Kenrich Williams
Why Do The Suns Do This Deal?
This deal presents an interesting opportunity for the Phoenix Suns to reconfigure the team’s current approach and restructure its core. With the departure of Grayson Allen, the Suns would be losing out on a reliable veteran. But acquiring Nikola Topic and Kenrich Williams in return may prove to be valuable.
For the most part, Williams’s arrival may not be as significant. Although he spent a large portion of his seven-year career with the Thunder, he has never been an impactful player off the bench.
Given his averages of 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds on 48.3% shooting from the field and 38.6% from three-point range, it is unlikely that he would earn valuable minutes with Phoenix.
On the other hand, the Suns may be more intrigued with Nikola Topic.
The 6’6″ point guard is yet to make his NBA debut. After missing out on his rookie season due to an ACL injury, the 20-year-old is expected to miss a large portion of the 2025-26 season recovering from surgery to treat testicular cancer.
The Serbian guard may be an unknown variable, but Buckley notes that the Suns could view him as their future point guard. Given his averages of 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 49.8% shooting from the field in the 2023-24 Euroleague season, Phoenix could benefit from acquiring him to pair with Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
How Does This Trade Benefit The Thunder?
For the Thunder, this deal has a lot of merit. By parting with Kenrich Williams and Nikola Topic, both of whom are inactive players at the moment, OKC would be acquiring a reliable and durable veteran in Grayson Allen.
Allen’s addition simply expands the Thunder’s bench depth. Considering how OKC has structured its roster, with 15 men who can step up and contribute at a moment’s notice, Allen would effectively find himself in a more relevant position to be a contributor.
This season, Allen is averaging 18.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 46.8% shooting from the field and 44.7% shooting from three-point range. Although there may be a minor drop-off in scoring production due to reduced minutes distribution, he could still be an impactful presence on the roster.
With elite perimeter shooting and strong defensive effort forming the essence of his role as a 3-and-D player, Allen would seamlessly slot into OKC’s rotation.
Along with Allen, the Thunder would also be acquiring another first-round pick in this trade scenario. From a future perspective, this would have significant implications.
At the moment, OKC possesses 27 draft picks. Of these, the Thunder already have three first-round picks in next year’s draft. With these many draft assets, Oklahoma essentially has the flexibility to either make necessary trades or build its strength back up through the draft.
Regardless of their roster situation, the Thunder are firmly positioned to become a dynasty.
This Trade Proposal Has No Major Flaws
After examining Buckley’s trade proposal, it is safe to say that this deal has no major flaws. Although the Suns do bear some risk by acquiring Topic, given that OKC seems keen on betting on his potential, Phoenix could see merit in doing the same.
The only concern may be associated with the Suns’ willingness to part with Allen, especially given his current form. Given that the veteran has firmly established himself as a key role player for the Suns and has played an important role on the defensive end, Phoenix may be losing too much by parting with him.
In light of this, the trade proposal could be revised to include another young player with upside, such as Ajay Mitchell or Cason Wallace. However, such a move may throw off the balance, forcing the need to change several other elements.
