The Oklahoma City Thunder, believe it or not, maybe don't even need a significant upgrade at the trade deadline to win a title this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and company enter Wednesday's action at 23-9, a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for first-place in the Western Conference. The Thunder's +8.5 net rating ranks third in the league, and they're one of only three teams to rank top-five in both offensive and defensive rating.
Oklahoma City is only improving as the 82-game grind wears on, too, with victories over the Timberwolves, defending-champion Denver Nuggets and league-leading Boston Celtics in just the last week. No other team in the NBA this season has beaten more quality opponents over such a short timeframe.
The young Thunder, basically, seem ready to compete for championships right now regardless of what the roster looks like after February 8th. If Sam Presti and the front office somehow manage to land Lauri Markkanen, though? Oklahoma City could potentially go from upstart contender to outright title favorite, addressing its desire for more positional size, three-level scoring prowess and defensive versatility next to Holmgren up front.
Thunder's odds to trade for Lauri Markkanen
There's no indication the Utah Jazz are interested in trading Markkanen. Will Hardy's team, in fact, has rebounded from a dreadful start to 2023-24 by winning eight of its last 11 games. But if Danny Ainge decides to sell high on Markkanen before the Jazz are truly ready to compete for a playoff berth in a stacked Western Conference, there's no team better equipped to trade for the Finnisher than the asset-rich Thunder—just ask Vegas.
Oklahoma City is currently listed as the most likely team to acquire Markkanen before the trade deadline, sporting +200 odds to land him at BetOnline. Next up are the Indiana Pacers at +500, with the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat owning +600 odds.
Presti has repeatedly stressed patience amid his team's wildly successful rebuild, suggesting the Thunder would wait until their young core further matures before pushing its chips in for a win-now trade. Even he surely didn't see Oklahoma City becoming one of the league's best teams, though. Could that surprising development change management's approach leading up to the deadline?
It's tough to imagine a better fit next to Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Jalen Williams than Markkanen. For sake of the rest of the league's chances to keep pace with the Thunder both this season and going forward, opposing teams better hope Presti continues slow-playing his team's path toward perennial top-tier contention.
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