- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had long been linked with a move away from the Thunder
- Rival executives no longer believe he’ll want to leave
- The Thunder have assembled one of the best young cores in the league
For quite a while, we heard rumors that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s days with the Oklahoma City Thunder may be numbered. It was believed he would want out sooner rather than later, but it turns out that is no longer the case, as per The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
“All those rival executives who were hoping he would want out of Oklahoma City less than a year ago appear to have given up hope on that front,” Amick wrote.
The thought process at the time was that Shai would get tired of the rebuild in OKC. GM Sam Presti seemed a lot more interested in stockpiling draft picks than helping the team win, and many believed that would eventually lead to the Canadian wanting out.
This past season, though, the Thunder went 40-42 and would have made the playoffs had they beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final play-in game. It is a team very much on the rise and with all those draft picks, they are in a position where they can make a move for another star as well.
The Thunder’s Incredible Young Core
Shai isn’t all that young anymore, but he is still just 25 years old and is leading what is one of the best young cores in the league. He averaged 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game last season to make the All-NBA First Team.
20-year-old Josh Giddey, meanwhile, averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in his second season in the NBA. Andrew Bogut believes Giddey will be the greatest Australian player in NBA history, which speaks to the youngster’s incredible potential.
Jalen Williams, who they drafted with the 12th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, finished runner-up for Rookie of the Year to Paolo Banchero. Williams put up 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in his rookie season.
As if these three weren’t enough, you also, of course, have Chet Holmgren in the mix. Holmgren was the second pick of the draft last year and missed the entire season due to injury. He is back now and is raring to go.
If I was Shai, I wouldn’t be interested in wanting out of this situation either. The future is now for the Thunder and in Gilgeous-Alexander, they have a burgeoning superstar who can take the franchise to new heights.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Has Been Excellent At The FIBA World Cup
This update on Shai would be a rather depressing one for many rival NBA fans, who have seen him shine at the 2023 FIBA World Cup for Canada. He has been one of the best players in the tournament, averaging 23.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
It looked like Shai would lead the Canadians to the Final, but they fell just short, losing to Serbia in the semifinals. They now take on Team USA in the third-place game, and regardless of the outcome, this will be Canada’s best showing at the World Cup. Shai would be disappointed to not win it all, but he can be proud of how well he played.
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