Can the Thunder Outbid 'Anyone' at the NBA Trade Deadline?
As the NBA regular season is progressing into the new year, trade rumors are running rampant across the league.
Players such as Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Pascal Siakam have all been involved in those rumors, three players with plenty of interest from contending teams.
The No. 3 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder can be found involved in a lot of these discussions, and it's not surprise as to why.
The Thunder have the largest plethora of draft capital and young talent in the NBA by a longshot, making it a highly difficult team to compete with in the trade market. It has the capability to outbid any team if it so desires, it's just a matter of if it has that desire.
The jump Oklahoma City has made since last season is astounding. It made the Play-In Tournament, but now its competing for the top spot in the Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing his way into another MVP-caliber season, Chet Holmgren is not only potentially the Rookie of the Year but an All-Star as well, and the supporting cast is full of quality players throughout.
The turnaround into NBA Championship contention was much quicker than expected, but the Thunder are here and ready now to get past the rebuilding stage. Trading for another star player isn't absolutely necessary to compete this season, but the option is surely there.
If the Thunder decide to go that direction, it has all of the resources to do so. It has Davis Bertans and Vasilije Micic's combined $27 million to match salary, countless draft picks and a talented young player in the form of Josh Giddey.
Before the season began, Giddey seemed like a lock to be in Oklahoma City's long-term plans. On-court performance and outside circumstances have decreased the confidence in that, potentially being a reason to move on from the 21-year-old. Most teams don't have a player to expend with the potential and skill of Giddey, giving the the Thunder some additional leverage.
With that trade package, Oklahoma City can absolutely outbid anyone at the trade deadline. If it feels like the right player and trade to make, it will make it happen, and there's little any other team can do to change that.
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