It's been obvious over the last few months that the Oklahoma City Thunder will consistently be brought up in big trade discussions for one reason or another. They could be the team receiving the big-name star or simply facilitating the trade.
The blend of young stars, tradable contracts and plenty of future draft picks makes the Thunder a natural trade partner for any of the other 29 teams across the league. In most situations, the Thunder has leverage over the partner on the other side.
One looming trade that has yet to gain any substantial traction despite dominating the news cycle is Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Early on, one of the bigger reported hold-ups has been the Trail Blazers not wanting Tyler Herro from the Miami Heat, which is Lillard's preferred destination.
The Thunder could be a fix for that, however. By playing the middle man, the Thunder could hypothetically leverage more positive value, as Sam Presti has done in years past. Now, things are a bit different for the Thunder so it'd have to be good value for Presti to jump the gun on such a thing.
If the Thunder could leverage a return outside of just Herro, such as additional draft capital or more trade pieces to play the big-picture game, it may just make sense.
Herro wouldn't love his potential role in Oklahoma City, though. He's a good scoring guard with NBA Finals experience, which are two positives, but his one-dimensional game would cause issues. The potential starting lineup the Thunder is already going to roll out will see minimal holes, and none bigger than the one Herro would leave if he was a starter.
If the Thunder would have to send out any assets, there's no reason to get involved in this trade mess. All-in-all, it's not a picture-perfect return, and if the Thunder and Presti are unable to bring in any positive assets, it's hard to imagine they even pick up the phone.
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