Stein: 'I Don't See' Thunder Making Win-Now Trade Despite Hot Start

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten off to an excellent start to the 2023-24 season, going 10-4 behind the young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Lu Dort, among others.

Few teams in basketball have more future draft assets than OKC, making them a team to monitor when star players hit the market. But as NBA reporter Marc Stein said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast Tuesday (17:03 mark), it's unlikely the Thunder will push all of those chips to the center of the table this season:

"The question with these guys is, because they have so many trade assets—I think that question always lurks with the Thunder in the background—will they make a big move? Will they use the stacks and stacks of draft picks amassed by Thunder president Sam Presti? When will they use it? Will they dive into that stack and try to make a trade for another established player? But their mantra has always been patience. I don't think they're going to bow to any external pressures about trying to speed this up, making some sort of win-now trade. I don't see that as being a target for them. Things are going really well the way it is."

The Thunder have a treasure chest of future first-round picks. Here are just the first-round selections owed to them from other teams:

2024: Houston (top-four protected, becomes a 2025 second-rounder if it doesn't convey); Los Angeles Clippers (unprotected); Utah (top-10 protected, conveys to a top-10 protected pick in 2025 or top-eight protected pick in 2026). However, the lowest of OKC's first-round picks—they also hold rights to their own selection—will be sent to the Indiana Pacers.

2025: Miami (top-14 protected, unprotected in 2026 if it doesn't convey); Philadelphia (top-six protected, conveys to a top-four protected in 2026 or 2027 or a 2027 second-rounder).

2026: Houston (top-four protected, conveys to a 2026 second-rounder); Clippers (unprotected).

2027: Denver (top-five protected in 2027 if its been two years since a protected pick was sent from Denver to Orlando, conveys to top-five protected in 2028 or 2029 or a 2029 second-rounder).

2029: Denver (this is the earliest the second top-five protected pick Denver owes OKC can be sent. Conveys to either a top-five protected pick in 2030 or second-round pick in 2030).

The Thunder own all of their own first-rounders between 2024-30 and have first-round swap rights with Houston and the Clippers in 2025, though the swap with Houston is top-10 protected.

Got all that? And that's just the first-rounders owed to them.

So if the Thunder find a win-now move for an established superstar to their liking, they have ample ammunition to get it done. But given that the core is so young, the Thunder could also hold onto their picks and take as many potential cracks at the lottery as possible, continuing to bring on young talents.

Or they could also use those picks to move up in the draft to ensure they get the prospects they covet.

What the Thunder have right now, in other words, is maximum flexibility. Don't expect them to part with that luxury lightly.