After trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook (and then Chris Paul), the OKC Thunder went into complete rebuild mode. Instead of creating a roster that can compete now, the team decided to accumulate assets that they can use to acquire young studs that could blossom in the future.
One such stud is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been among OKCs best players for the past two seasons.
The 2021 NBA season was, objectively, his best performance yet. He averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game on 50.8% shooting.
Still, rumors are spreading that Thunder Gm Sam Presti could put him on the trade block. Here is the report, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
“I’m going to watch the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander situation. All their guys are basically 18 years old and then they’ve got Shai, and now they’ve traded for Kemba Walker, they’re clearly still in asset accumulation mode. All their guys are super young. This team doesn’t look like it’s going to be ready to be competitive in the near term.”
Shai is still just 22 years old and has plenty of time to improve and develop his game.
But with most of the roster still in their teens, and all those draft picks not even yet in the league, it seems SGA may not fit the timeline of the organization.
In any event, Presti will only consider a deal if an offer includes a stack of picks. it will be interesting to see how the situation plays out. in the weeks and months to come.
