NBA Exec: 'Keep Hearing' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'Frustrated' With Thunder's Losing

An unnamed NBA executive said he heard Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is "frustrated with the losing" when referencing old rumors reporting the Toronto Raptors' interest in the 24-year-old.

"You keep hearing that Shai is frustrated with the losing, and so I think that’s the Toronto thing that we’ve all heard about with their interest in Shai this summer," the front-office member told Sam Amick of The Athletic in an NBA executive poll published Thursday.

"But how far do (the Thunder) want to push this (tanking effort)?"

TSN's Josh Lewenberg reported in September that the Raptors were monitoring Gilgeous-Alexander.

"One of the situations they’re closely monitoring, according to a league source, is in Oklahoma City, where Toronto-born star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may eventually tire of leading a rebuild. The Thunder have gone 46-108 over the past two years and don’t seem close to turning the corner, especially after losing second-overall pick Chet Holmgren to an off-season foot injury."

Lewenberg made clear that SGA "has given no indication that he would prefer to play elsewhere."

That's the message Gilgeous-Alexander has spread. He spoke with Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic in September and said he planned to see the team's multiyear rebuild through:

Thunder general manager Sam Presti also told reporters before the season that the team loves Gilgeous-Alexander and made it clear that the Thunder had no plans to move him.

“The only reason we're talking about it is because another player on another team [Rudy Gobert] got traded," Presti said in response to a question regarding Gilgeous-Alexander speculation, per Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman. “And the aggregation machine is empty now, so we need a little more content.”

SGA, who signed a five-year, $179.3 million extension in 2021, is averaging 31.6 points on 53.7 percent shooting, 5.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this year. Despite his tremendous season, the Thunder are just 4-7 and sit 13th in the Western Conference.

Still, the Thunder have been in clear rebuilding mode as they stockpile draft picks and young players in hopes of finding that future core to build around, so everyone knew the deal in advance. For now, SGA remains the star of the team and someone OKC can move forward with as it looks toward brighter days.