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The Oklahoma City Thunder have put themselves in a strong position to succeed in the future. They are definitely in the midst of a rebuild, but they have done an excellent job of obtaining draft picks and have a few rising stars who will be very successful players in this league in the future.
Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Lu Dort have all contributed significantly to the Thunder’s ability to compete against many of the teams they have faced this season. Despite the fact that they are only 14-29 on the season and hold the 14th seed in the Western Conference, they have played many of their opponents tough and it feels as if they are losing games by only a few points every night.
The front office has to be satisfied with their present situation, given that they still have a lot of draft picks in the future, which they could opt to trade some of them to bring in some immediate impact players to pair with their three young, future stars. This Thunder team appears to be in good hands regardless of whatever path they choose to pursue. Any club considering a rebuild should study what the Thunder’s front office has accomplished.
Although they are currently in a strong position, there are still some concerns concerning this team and the organization’s future. Let’s look at the three major questions for the rest of the season concerning this Thunder organization.
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2022 Thunder Questions
3. Who is going to be traded?
It seems certain that the Thunder will make some moves this season, and it makes a lot of sense from their standpoint. They are clearly not in a position to contend anytime soon, and it is extremely doubtful that they will reach the playoffs unless they can get some talent at the trade deadline who can help this club win 30 games in the second half of the season. There are a few players on the roster that other contending clubs will be interested in acquiring.
Other teams will be trying to add good role players around the deadline, so players like Darius Bazley, Derrick Favors, and others may all earn a decent return for Oklahoma City.
It is not an issue for the Thunder to trade anyone else as long as they don’t give up any of their three skilled young players. They must ensure that those three core players remain together, and if they do, they will be very successful in the near future.
2. What players are being brought in, if any?
Because of all of the draft picks they have managed to accumulate over the last several years, the Thunder have a lot of leverage at the deadline. They have a few options before the trade deadline, including going out and acquiring some more young players that they believe are better than what they presently have, as well as just acquiring more draft picks.
This Thunder team, more than any other in the NBA, has the assets to get a star. They must recognize that in order to bring back a player who they believe can make an instant impact, they cannot overpay for that player just because of the assets they already have. They have worked hard to accumulate their draft picks, and they can’t afford to lose them all for one or two players.
1. Are they satisfied with the way the rebuild is going?
The biggest question for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s front office right now is if they are happy with how the rebuild is progressing. It is difficult to argue that they aren’t satisfied from the outside. Despite their record with just 14 victories this season, they have done a fantastic job in competing against some very good teams. Oklahoma City has beaten some tough teams in the past, including the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Lakers twice.
Even though the victories aren’t happening for this team right now, they have done a fantastic job battling against practically every team they have faced each night. In Oklahoma City, there is certainly a foundation, and the organization must be pleased with how things are going. It will not be an easy process because they are only at the beginning of this rebuild but if they decide to trade some of their assets, it might expedite the process, which is something Oklahoma City should consider doing sooner rather than later.
Oklahoma City should be able to become a team that can make the playoffs sometime in the near future. .