Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.The OKC Thunder have a treasure trove of draft picks, one of the best young players in the NBA and a general manager known for making risky decisions.
After all, “fear of money cannot make money”.
This continued to cause the national media to drag the Oklahoma City Thunder into every trade discussion involving disgruntled stars.
The latest is the difficult scenario unfolding in Portland as their all-time leading scorer, Damian Lillard, asked to leave this summer.
Lillard announced that he would only play for the Heat, causing Miami to turn down an offer from the Trail Blazers.
While the Miami Heat have all the leverage, Portland is trying to regain ground, throwing in elements of Eastern Conference complexity and other empty threats to try to put the Heat against the ‘opposition.
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Even though some members of the national media are advocating it, Damian Lillard is not a good fit for the OKC Thunder.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who has continued to discuss the possibility of trading Damian Lillard to OKC multiple times over the past two weeks.
On his podcast, The Crossover, Chris Manix said: “Trust me, I wrote this last week…I think I would call it an informed opinion.
That’s if Dame is still on the Blazers’ roster come January.
What if OKC does too much?
If they play really well, don’t be surprised if they come out and rush Lillard.
This is not an informed opinion from the long-time national scribe.
If the OKC Thunder are “overactive,” they will not utilize their youth to the fullest on a 33-year-old defender who plays better with the ball in his hands like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Additionally, what should Portland expect from OKC’s talent-rich roster?
Since they have Scoot Henderson to partner Shaedon Sharpe, is Josh Giddey attractive in terms of position?
They prefer Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren.
Oh yeah, and you have to ship Lu Dort to get the right salary.
So in this case, OKC ends up with a core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard and Josh Giddey that is a poor fit for Williams or Holmgren.
This will make it more difficult for the team than their current roster in the long run, while also preventing them from competing for the title in the short term.
OKC Thunder will take their time with things and if they make a splash there will be much more suitable products.
Can you imagine a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo pairing?
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If Damian Lillard is willing to mess up like that with a franchise where he’s considered one of the best players, if not the best player, do you really think things will go well in the market?
Oklahoma City small school?
Additionally, trading chips for a 33-year-old whose contract expires after the upcoming season is not a recipe for success when you’re dealing eight years for Holmgren or Williams.
At this point, the OKC Thunder are fighting against themselves, as the Miami Heat, thus far, have only offered a bunch of Tyler Herro and a random assortment of assets that can best be described as “Things”.
For all the great work Chris Manix does nationally, this piece he’s obsessed with falls short of the mark.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are not trading Damian Lillard.
It doesn’t match what Sam Presti is building.