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The Oklahoma City Thunder’s rise from lottery regular to NBA Champions has been one of the most deliberate, calculated rebuilds in recent NBA history. General manager Sam Presti built patiently through the draft, weaponized cap space for asset collection, and invested in player development like few front offices ever have. The result? A 2024-25 season that saw Oklahoma City finish with the league’s best record, make the NBA Finals, and win it, and further cement itself as one of the deepest rosters in the league.
That depth is both a blessing and a looming decision point. With so many rotation-caliber players, the Thunder can’t realistically give everyone consistent minutes. In today’s NBA, good players stuck in smaller roles often become prime trade targets for other franchises.
In particular, Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams, and Alex Ducas fit this profile. All are skilled, productive, and proven at the NBA level. None of them are “expendable” in the traditional sense, but all could be valuable trade pieces for rebuilding teams looking for cost-controlled contributors who can help elevate their floor immediately.
Isaiah Joe: The shooting specialist every team wants
Isaiah Joe’s rise with the Thunder has been one of the most quietly impressive development stories in the league. In 2024-25, the fifth-year guard posted career highs in both role and production, logging a personal-best 1,604 regular-season minutes across 74 games (16 starts) and playing a critical 211 minutes in 21 playoff games.
Joe averaged a career-high 10.2 points on 44.0% shooting, 2.6 rebounds (0.6 offensive), 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals. The marksman shot 67-for-122 (54.9%) on twos, 192-for-466 (41.2%) on threes, and 46-for-56 (82.1%) on free throws.
Excluding low leverage, Oklahoma City won Joe's minutes by 14.5 points per 100 possessions across the regular season and playoffs. Lineups containing Joe and excluding All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams registered a +26.8 net rating in 211 minutes last season.
For rebuilding teams, Joe represents the holy grail of modern NBA role players: elite shooting gravity, the ability to scale his minutes up or down, and the composure to produce in both regular-season and playoff contexts. His age (26) makes him a rare “win-now and later” piece.
For Oklahoma City, the dilemma is straightforward. They already have one of the league’s most potent offenses and a glut of capable perimeter players. Trading Joe wouldn’t be about getting rid of a weakness; it would be about leveraging a surplus. A team like the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, or Toronto Raptors could see Joe as a starting-caliber shooting guard and pay accordingly in draft capital or young prospects.
Kenrich Williams: The Swiss army knife forward
Kenrich Williams is the kind of player every contender wants, and every rebuilding team should covet. In his seventh NBA season, “Kenny Hustle” once again proved why he’s been a mainstay in the Thunder rotation since 2020.
In 2024-25, Williams averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting an efficient 48.3% from the field and a career-high 38.6% from three. His advanced stats are just as compelling. Oklahoma City went 58-11 when he played in the regular season and 12-4 in his playoff appearances.
Undrafted out of TCU in 2018 and now NBA CHAMPION in Year 7… Kenrich Williams! pic.twitter.com/R5IeKqRYmI
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
What makes Williams particularly attractive to rebuilding franchises is his versatility. At 6-foot-6 with strong defensive instincts, he can guard multiple positions, space the floor, and serve as a connective passer. His improved free-throw shooting (71.8%, up 21.8% from the prior season) suggests his offensive game is still evolving.
Williams’ contract is team-friendly, and his locker-room presence is well-regarded across the league. For a young roster without many veterans, he offers the rare combination of on-court versatility and off-court mentorship.
For Oklahoma City, Williams is a glue guy, but when your team is already overflowing with glue guys, the right trade could turn him into a more specialized piece for a title run.
Alex Ducas: The emerging shooter who could shine elsewhere
Alex Ducas may not yet be a household name, but his skill set screams “future rotation mainstay” in the NBA. At 6-foot-7, Ducas offers size, floor spacing, and an intelligent off-ball game that makes him an ideal role player in today’s perimeter-heavy league.
In limited minutes last season, Ducas showcased a smooth shooting stroke, NBA-ready strength, and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. His ability to defend both guard and forward spots gives him lineup flexibility, while his quick-trigger release from deep stretches defenses.
For the Thunder, Ducas’ path to consistent minutes is blocked by one of the deepest wing rotations in the NBA. Even with injuries or rest days, it’s hard to see him getting a steady 20+ minutes without someone else being moved. For a rebuilding team, however, he could immediately step into a starting or sixth-man role, providing valuable spacing for young playmakers.
Balancing depth and asset management: The Thunder’s next big test
The Thunder’s 2025 offseason was less about splashy moves and more about consolidation. They extended core pieces, added depth where needed, and set the stage for another Championship run. The challenge now isn’t finding talent, it’s deciding how to manage it.
Isaiah Joe’s elite shooting, Kenrich Williams’ versatility, and Alex Ducas’ emerging skill set make them prime targets for rebuilding teams in need of proven (or soon-to-be proven) rotation players. Trading any of them wouldn’t be an indictment of their value to Oklahoma City; rather, it would be a strategic decision to maximize asset returns before contractual or rotational logjams diminish leverage.
The Thunder’s front office has shown a willingness to make tough calls in the past, from trading beloved veterans to flipping young prospects for draft equity. With so much depth and so few minutes to go around, expect them to at least listen when rival GMs come calling about these three players.
For now, Joe, Williams, and Ducas remain valuable parts of a championship-caliber roster. But in the fluid, asset-driven world of the NBA, their value to another team might one day outweigh their role in Oklahoma City. If the Thunder want to keep pushing their competitive window open and maintain the flexibility that got them here, those decisions may come sooner than anyone expects.
