Not many within the Oklahoma City Thunder front office are looking at their team's current roster with intent to create change.
Last season for coach Mark Daigneault's squad wasn’t supposed to go the way it did. A young squad mixed with a plethora of draft picks typically isn’t a recipe for playoff success, after all.
No, the Thunder didn’t make the playoffs when all said and done, but it was close. The NBA’s new play-in tournament ensured that, but Oklahoma City wasn’t supposed to be where it was in the first place.
A lot of that was due to players stepping up, and not ones named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Players like Luguentz Dort.
Dort averaged 13.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season, which wasn’t quite his career high, but it was well within the ballpark of production Oklahoma City had hoped for.
The guard’s impact is clear, but according to Bleacher Report, keeping him around might not be in the team’s best interest.
"Luguentz Dort is also an integral piece here,” the site wrote in its league-wide analysis of trade assets. “His on-ball defense can help shield OKC's other key players from the toughest opposing matchups. His five-year, $82 million deal will max out at 11.6 percent of the cap in 2024-25—a bargain for an elite stopper."
Bleacher Report put Dort on the Thunder’s list of top-3 trade assets on the basis of Oklahoma City’s marriage to its other stars. Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams — Josh Giddey, even — weren’t up for grabs in this exercise, leaving Dort as the odd man out.
But Dort isn’t the Thunder’s only trade asset.
"That brings us to the league's largest stockpile of future first-round picks,” the site continued. “Oklahoma City could have as many as 15 first-rounders over the next seven years, plus over 20 seconds.”
Multiple picks, specifically, stand out as extra special. Unprotected picks in 2024 and 2026 could have serious potential, especially given the latter comes from a team of aging, unavailable superstars.
But even with as many picks as it has, the question still remains: what is the Thunder’s most valuable asset?
"No team is better positioned to add major talent by sending out picks,” Bleacher Report concluded. “If OKC wants to take a swing, the only question is which asset to choose from its overflowing war chest."
Picks, picks and more picks tell the story of the Thunder’s market value. It could feasibly trade for any superstar in the market by also including the right players, but would it want to? Likely not, especially given the youth it has.
That youth has already come just shy of a playoff berth during a season that had anything but that in the cards. Dort was a part of that, too, though.
Realistically, Oklahoma City would not give up Dort on a whim. His value is recognized by Daigneault, by his teammates and by the front office. He’s off to a strong start in NBA Preseason as well.
So, it would have to be a big get for Dort to see his way out of Oklahoma. And given the team state, that seems to be quite unlikely. At least for now.
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