Could OKC Thunder Land a Relative of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander During Free Agency?

It might be hard to think about who the OKC Thunder could add to their roster this coming offseason, but one prime candidate that the Thunder just eliminated from the playoffs could be an intriguing option. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is likely out the door in Minnesota and there is a universe where Oklahoma City pounces on him.

According to Evan Sidery, Alexander-Walker could be an odd man out in Minnesota when it comes to cap space and NBA free agency.

The Timberwolves have plenty of talent they'd like to bring back, including forwards Naz Reid and Julius Randle, leaving a minimal amount of money for Alexander-Walker. This could cause him to leave and the Thunder could be a great fit.

For starters, Alexander-Walker, the cousin and Canadian teammate of OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season while shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.1% from the perimeter.

Alexander-Walker emerged as a great scoring threat off the bench for the Timberwolves by the time the playoffs came around and continued that throughout. He averaged 8.3 points on 38.9% shooting this postseason, but recorded scoring nights of 23, 17 and 20 in their series against OKC and Golden State. He was a solid defender throughout the three rounds Minnesota made it, making him servicable on both sides of the ball.

His fit in OKC would be nearly perfect. He's a good perimeter shooter, which is one of Oklahoma City's few flaws, and can defend at a high level. He doesn't command the ball much, so he could come off the bench. Alexander-Walker would only improve OKC's spacing on offense and would only add to the depth they celebrate so often.

All of that sounds great, but landing Alexander-Walker wouldn't be so cut and clear. It would likely require a sign-and-trade so the Timberwolves could get something in return, but they simply don't have the money for him. Technically, the Thunder don't either, but they could be the team to give up those assets.

In a realistic world, a combination of forwards Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and Ousmane Dieng, along with guard Isaiah Joe, would be the assets in the mix to ship to Minnesota. Wiggins is making around $10 million a year this season and Joe $12 million, likely making them the main trade chips. With Wiggins on the younger side, while also having a cheaper deal, moving him might not make sense.

Sending Joe and Dieng away, along with some combination of picks from OKC's bank of them, might be enough to land Alexander-Walker. Adding a seasoned three-point shooter in Joe might help with the dip they saw shooting the ball in the playoffs, while also adding a project player in Dieng.

Whether all of this would be worth it for Alexander-Walker is too hard to tell. Wiggins and Joe play important roles in their own way and ruining that chemistry might not be worth it, but there is no doubt that Alexander-Walker would be impactful, as well. Regardless, Alexander-Walker should command plenty of suitors if he does become a free agent and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Thunder line up for him.