Thunder Trade Targets

Thunder Trade Targets

welcome to down to dunk I’m your host Andrew schack we part of the athletic podcast network with me on a Thursday things get spicy on Thursdays apparently on down to dunk and Alex and I are delivering a special episode for you guys today just so that we can get through all these trade targets before we get to the draft the draft is just around the corner and if you are looking for something to do on draft night and you are in Oklahoma City I need you to go to the Jones assembly with the down to dunkers all the dunkers are going to be at the Jones assembly on the night of the draft so join us the draft begins at seven I would get there earlier than that it’s just going to be a really fun time uh don’t don’t stay home don’t stay home for the draft come to the Jones assembly hang out with us it will be worth your time and also you get to talk to people that actually follow the draft and that care about the thunder which case I don’t know if there’s people at your home that that do that to have those two things in common with you so please join us at the Jones assembly the night of the draft hope you guys are doing great with me Alex Pierce Alex what’s up what’s up Andrew I forgot it was a um Thursday po I don’t really have anything um nothing spicy yeah I don’t have anything I’m angry about oh man we’ll have to find something to just get so miffed about oh I would have been mad if uh PJ Washington to hit that corner three yeah but he missed it so I was pretty happy like oh great he did miss it and I I was asking I did a podcast last night with Tim KO and Jay King and there was a moment at the end of the game did you see Al Horford just absolutely lose his mind at the end of that game we just like grabbed a rebound there was like 40 seconds left I think they were only up four and he just Sprints up the court with the ball and just looks like he is absolutely panicked and like gets himself like glued to the sideline on the other side of the Court no one else is down there yet but a Mavs Defender he traps him down by like the bench and Horford steps out of bounds and turns the ball over I’m like what is going on here it’s like what why is this why is this happening this is a four-point game like you guys just need to slow it down maybe get some free throws or something it was just very we weird I just I didn’t I don’t know maybe it’s maybe his you know old man body can’t handle 37 minutes of play but it was very very weird very well lucky for him the uh the Maverick’s very very good at overcoming massive deficits but then not being able to win yeah we we know that from experience for sure that that that created one of the funniest press conference settings for the Thunder this season is when you get to watch the guys like look over their box scores I like I like made like a a short for it and it was like so funny to me um that was that was amazing that was that was so funny what a crazy game um looks looking like the Celtics are G to win looking like obviously the Celtics are a more talented team but I just the style of play too which is I think not crazy to similar to the Thunders is like the style of play is just like winning out you know where met Dallas’s Big Time creators standstill Shooters Defenders um where the Celtics are trying to create something similar to the Thunder where it’s like a lot of driving kick it’s a lot of guys that can do everything um well I would say the the lesson learned for me is that like the Thunder don’t have enough of those guys yeah Celtics truly have moments where like every single guy on the court is a threat to drive and actually do something at The Rim whereas there were just too many moments thinking back where the Thunder would be like two guys short or three guys short that could do that that could actually do that I mean a lot of a lot of the guys on the Thunder theoretically could do that and at times during the season were able to do that but like man in the playoffs you you really do at least if you’re not going to have like the best player in the league which the Boston doesn’t like you really do kind of have to have like five top 60 guys in the league to make it all work and yeah I mean I saw someone tweeting about how um yes Lucas’s defense has been bad but that’s partially due to the fact that he is just has so much more to do against a team like Boston than the previous teams they played against because you think about like with Minnesota like you’re really just worried about ant most of the time in terms of like a someone creating on you and having to worry about him even with the Thunder it was like theoretically Shay and jdub although J jdub didn’t have the the greatest series and then against Boston it’s just like everyone like there is really no one for him to get a breather against and uh so yeah so so yeah that makes me more open to drafting another guard you know or it’s not really about being a guard but just I’m I just want more players like that and if they do come in a guard package I’m not going to push them away just because the Thunder already have a lot of good guards yeah that’s that’s is why like I I love the idea of bub Carrington or even Jared McCain I know McCain’s like not as big he doesn’t have the wingspan and stuff like that but he’s just like another guard that can create and shoot and help you in that way Bob Carrington I think has the size and length and defensive ability though and probably and he’s less of a shooter and so then it becomes like a question like what like what do you want um yeah but yeah I would not shy away from taking another guard you know would not would not shy away from that at all um and that and that’s why you also like I know that there’s a lot of guys that the Thunder fans wish that they would take but that’s why like having guys that are more standstill Shooters just aren’t as valuable in the league anymore they to be like Staples of every single starting lineup you know but if you have you need to have more than two skills you know and so I think like you have to swing for guys that have like three and four skills you know on the court these days that are going to play Big minutes for you because if not it’s it becomes harder and harder for them to stay on the court if they’re not making shots you know like with Drew holiday and with Derek white both those guys if they’re not making shots can still contribute to your team yeah you know like that th those are the kind of guys that you need and so I think still searching for those kind of guys and shuffling the roster a little bit is is necessary and and probably gonna happen to a degree this summer but I think you feel good about Shay jdub I think Lou is is like right on The Fringe of being one of those guys um and is obviously important to the Thunder uh Chad k Wallace like those are the five that I’m like I feel very confident about those five and then like a and Wiggins as like bench guys yes feel good about that and then I think there’s work to do honestly and maybe some of these other guys develop maybe Jen develops maybe you know Jay will develops but you know they they still don’t have like firm answers on a lot of these guys so there there’s still a lot of work to do and I’m really interested to see where this goes yeah I do think it’s going to be hard to replicate Boston though and I think the advantage the Thunder have is that Shay can be better that I mean I think he was better than Tatum this year like the OKC’s best player can be better than Boston’s best player I think it’s going to be really hard though to replicate the like five top 50 guys or whatever I mean you can you can probably get close with with a couple trades we think that Chad and jayd duub can obviously be top 50 guys MH um so you can maybe get two more of those through trades over these next couple Seasons but that’s the part of their model that is just going to be so tough for people because you look back at the trades that they made to get those guys and this happens a lot of times but you look back and it’s just like how did that how did that ever happen how did like it requires a perfect storm of events almost each time yeah the fact that they got a top four protected pick back in the porzingis deal yeah in addition to porzingis you know like those and then that pick was used to acquire Drew holiday you know you just have to get so lucky they obviously got super lucky with the the Paul George Shay trade yeah but they’re gonna have to swing on a couple more where they got lucky maybe just the having so many picks yeah what you say I was just going to say got lucky in the lottery got got yeah you know had the jdub pick from the Clippers trade too like there’s it’s the league is so much like sure it’s like preparation it’s like just preparation and luck just like meeting all the time like that’s what it is like to form like the right roster even feel like the Timberwolves to get the number one pick in that draft and to choose ant like ant wasn’t like the forone conclusion at number one in that draft they could have taken lamelo things could look a lot different for them they could have taken James wisman there were a lot there were some people out there saying that James wisman should have been the number one pick you know I it’s a lot of it is just kind of luck um and now like the Thunder need to you have to be prepared and ready to pounce on that luck and some of that I really do believe like some of that could come into place this summer for OKC I think that they’re the opportunities start now like identifying those opportunities and what they are and then being ready to go because now you do have you are armed with like everything a team could want one you have like the three young stars on your team like everybody would want that you have all the draft picks you have cap space you have players to trade you have I mean you have everything and now it’s like time to capitalize you know to start capitalizing on this stuff and who knows if like the right deal comes forward may maybe the right deal isn’t out there but at least you’re going to be ready and prepared if it does yeah I saw a point made by uh jpos ISU on Twitter which was that not only do they have these picks they have players but they specifically have players that would be useful to some of these teams that are coming up against some of the apron requirements so it’s not just that you can trade for some of their better players on bigger contracts you can offer them not just picks but you could offer them players that really would be helpful to them on cheaper deals you know obviously we love Aaron Wiggins I would love to see Aaron Wiggins on this team forever but he could be a very valuable piece to a contending team somewhere else who just needs to save a bit of money and maybe they’re willing to take a step down by trading away a better player feeling like well at least we’re getting back someone who can be in a rotation you know even if they’re not as good as the player we’re sending away yeah so it just feels like OKC could trade with anyone like they they have the assets to satisfy any team in the league yeah well and like with guys like Aaron Wiggins I think like something that we did learn over this season is like he is a good eighth or ninth guy and somebody that you feel good about having on your roster which you know this season was like all about like what can you learn you know like what do what can you learn about this roster what can you learn about where this team is going Andrew some of us would say we’ve known that forever you know as Wiggins heads we’ve been out there except okay not me at Summer League I was pissed that we were excited about a 55th overall pick but once this season started us Wiggins heads were there from the beginning you were so mad that was the original Thursday pot it was yeah like be Aon Wiggins I was so pissed that we were excited about a 55th overall pick and he t for half a season and you’re trying to get me excited about like the last guy in the draft basically and what’s funny is like and we don’t know what’s gonna happen with Josh kidy like I don’t know what’s GNA happen with Josh KY oh yeah I know what you’re gonna say yeah he he might be like the last man standing from from that dra yeah from that class you know for the Thunder like he may be he may he may not be they may extend giddy I don’t know but like um Wiggins could be like the guy that lasts from that draft class you know it it felt so at the time it felt like oh my gosh they need to nail this draft and they may have not and it also may have not mattered at all because they did so well in the in the next draft you know getting jaub and Chad like that’s all you need to do it’s just like with with the Sixers like the Sixers whiffed on so many things and like they still ended up okay because they nailed the embiid pick you know I don’t know if they ended up okay Andrew well ended up getting out getting out of like the tech they’re not the Pistons right now no they’re not they’re not I understand what you’re I understand what you’re saying it’s just hard to watch this Boston team who drafted two picks behind the Sixers in two consecutive drafts and just see where the Sixers are yeah you know yeah all I’m saying is like they at least got them out of the hole even though like they I mean you look back at it it is tragic some of the things that happened and like some of the picks that they made to get two guys at number one overall that ended up being like nothing yeah to have the number one pick in consecutive drafts consecutive drafts consecutive drafts and pick the wrong guy twice does not matter yeah I mean that is crazy and still and all I’m saying is still they found themselves in like a place to be competitive and for the Thunder that and that’s what I’m saying with the Thunder is like they have already like they have their embiid like guy and Shay and then they nailed two picks you know like imagine had the Sixers have nailed two of those top picks and had embiid you know like I think that’s like the position that thunder in right now now again they need to capitalize on a lot of things to get to the ultimate Destiny for them but they’ve already made it as far as the Sixers ever had in this era because they did nail those two picks yeah um man I’m looking back of the uh Wiggins draft yeah just from pick 50 on Brandon Boston Jr Luca Garza Charles Bassie Mamu and yorkos kazakis and Jericho Sims are these just like names that you know no I’m just saying like I was I was trying to see like who’s the best like 55th plus pick obviously I know Isaiah Thomas but I was just trying to see if there was anyone else I was just surprised that there’s some guys are still on rosters yeah you know yeah uh but he’s the best of them wiggin is the best yeah he’s like one of the best yeah he’s one of the best 55th overall picks he’s oh Trace Jackson Davis yeah that was a good one from last year that was 57 uh yeah Isaiah Wong was the 55th pick last year that’s kind of he’s played he’s played four minutes let’s see Kyle guy 55th overall pick I remember’ I’ve done this before Joffrey Joffrey lever samaj Christian they like both of them were yes yes yes we’ve done this before Patty Mills who was also on the Thunder for a hot he’s the greatest of all time Lu skola is the greatest okay okay 55th what about Chris clack that’s a cool name Chris clack Rick Rickert that’s a cool name too Chris clack and Rick Rickert Rickert R and Herbert Hill wow this is this is great literation here there’s a lot there’s a lot anyways uh uh for for Aaron Wiggins he’s got some work to do to get past Luis skola as the best F overall uh you want to talk about some trade targets Al uh yeah so we have our last division in the Western Conference Pacific Division as I mentioned to two weeks ago a week ago I I really couldn’t justify including any Lakers or Clippers I tried to do it because I I’d like to choose at least one person from each team from the Lakers uh you know okay remember it has to be someone who you know is going to be a top eight like a top eight rotation player on the Thunder like you could say Jackson Hayes theoretically fits as like a backup center but is he gonna like do you know that he’s gonna play no no don’t do that going to trade for D’Angelo Russell ruie uh huh ruy hachimura yeah Gonzaga front court that is true that is true yeah I’m just not a I’m not a big ruy guy yeah doesn’t seem like a thunder guy Thunderman he had a negative assist turnover ratio uh in pretty much every season actually every no sorry sorry sorry I was looking at personal FS okay um yeah I guess if you want to talk about Ry we can if he’s like your if he’s your big coming off the bench you know and like the the Lakers are in a position where they’re like we need draft picks because we need to make a trade you know all right I’ll add them to the list Andrew uh is there anyone you want to add from the uh Clippers um let me look them over real quick let me look them over it’s probably a waste of time honestly oh it definitely is I mean I would argue all of this is but uh what about Russell Westbrook bringing him back back up PG you know shoot past dribble you know what sure let’s include him because I’m sure there there are probably a lot of Russ fans listening to us yeah definitely sure we’ll include he’s unrestricted right or or they have to decide whether to bring him back I think yeah I’m trying to remember what I think he has a uh yeah he has a oh he has a four million player option oh player so he’s got to figure out what he wants to do yeah yeah trade trade for KD bring back Russ and go go get your title with Russ and KD finally you know put yeah and put um just put Shay on the bench you I mean if you really want the title to matter you know you got to Russ obviously yeah for sure we you let you let SGA win Sixth Man of the Year oh that would be sweet that’d be sweet going from second in the MVP to winning Sixth Man winning sixth man I don’t know if that’s been done okay starting with the Pacific Division we’re gonna start with golden state the Golden State Warriors Warriors tors starting off with Klay Thompson I’m including him because a lot of people like him they like bringing him up he is an unrestricted free agent you can get him won’t cost you anything in terms of assets other than your own money it’s true so Andrew what do you think about uh Clay’s fit on the Thunder one through five um so clay had a decent he did not have a great season last year but he had a decent season he still averaged almost 18 points per game last season three boards he still shot the ball well he still took a ton of Threes took nine threes per game at 38% obviously you’re gonna have to guard clay the question to me is like what position does Klay Thompson play in the year 2024 like in what position would he play on the Thunder like I I mean he is a big Wing now if not like playing the four at times because I just don’t know with the foot speed that he can stay with anybody anymore it’s like that’s the concern is like he a tweener in a bad way in a way like hey we don’t really know where we can put you he had some he had some decent defensive moments but like you just know in the back of your mind that like he could get cooked and there were times where the Warriors couldn’t close with him yeah and so there’s certainly a concern there but if you just like imagine a lineup where he’s in place of Giddy and it’s you know Klay Thompson in the corner or Kay Thomson running off curls it’s like yeah like there’s there’s definitely something to like there but you know he’s 34 but with like an old 34 because of the injuries so I think the fit is probably like a three like you could definitely see a world where a guy like that who doesn’t who like like famously doesn’t dribble you know a guy who just like catch and shoot is gonna but but is going to move around the defense as he’s doing it like yeah like I think Klay Thompson fits with anybody and everybody for sure but timeline wise and groupwise I just don’t know that he’s the kind of guy you want to bring in right now uh what do you think about Clay’s overall impact potentially on the Thunder I mean it would probably be a four you know adding a shooter of that caliber of with that kind of volume also yourself into clay just I mean it’s it’s it’s not insane to think that a guy that is a high volume three-point shooter could really help this team you know that’s something that they really truly lack is like a guy that will come in and take nine or 10 you know in a game you know it happens sometimes with Chad it happens sometimes with other guys on the team I think Isaiah Joe given the opportunity could do that but he doesn’t regularly do that mean Klay Thompson in 29 minutes per game averaged nine attempts like the guy is a is a high volume three-point shooter and like I think that’s something that they do lack in a in a real way so I I think it would be very impactful to them and a team that like wants to take threes they want to take a lot of Threes uh so contract you’re likely I’m guessing he makes like at least three 60 as like the very minimum oh I think I think you would I think he’s going to get a lot more than that I think to get him away from Golden State you would probably have to give him two six two for 60 yeah but but he would probably want just I mean if he could get years he would probably just take he would want years yeah and if you’re the Thunder I just don’t know that you you can you you can’t do that you can’t do that this dude this dude could fall off a this dude could be done very very soon you know like it could be like some sometimes guys will just show up and it is over you know it is over and there’s nothing you can do about it and now you got 30 million on your books and now you’re gonna have to use a pick to get rid of the contract I mean it’s just it’s not palatable it’s like a one honestly it’s he’s G to get overpaid some of it in name and some of it in production like he was not like an like a guy that was not productive at all you know last year but there is a clear fallof from where he was I mean he his year 32 season he was almost 22 points per game fell off didn’t play as many minutes didn’t get as many shots you know there’s there’s reason to believe that there’s a big fall off and his percentage went down you know year over year so there’s I mean he’s a career 41% from three he was 38 last year he had some pretty cold stretches during the season so there there’s a reason to believe and a lot of it stems from the injuries that he’s come back from like he he did not come back as like the exact same guy and so some of the stats look good and look similar but you know he hasn’t been an Allstar since he was injured and there’s there are things to be worried about certainly with clay and to be the team that overpays the guy on the last leg of his deal there are concerns about that that it typically doesn’t go well you know like like Chris Paul right now like not going well you know so I I just worry about those kind of guys all right uh Andrew how realistic is it uh one I just don’t I just don’t see it being realistic um okay next up Andrew Wiggins we could get the other Wiggins 67 uh he’s making 26.3 28.2 and then has a 30.2 million player option in 2627 okay uh fit for Wiggins who this season obviously wasn’t great still did shoot 37% from three but he doesn’t take very many uh he only shot 34% from the corners he’s you know it was not a good season for Andrew Wiggins yeah the the fits like what we were talking about with the the Boston guys like he’s he’s not one of those guys he’s just notoriously not one of those guys so that fits like a too you know like you could make it work but it it would feel a little bit forced you know what is he he’d be like the he and Dort would be like the you know share like fourth option on in the starting lineup you know where it’s just like hey open shots you two you know like yeah well you’d only make the trade if you like genuinely think there’s bounceback potential because there there was a time when Wiggins was very good you know he was I don’t know if he ever had a shot but he was in the running for like talking about Finals MVP in 2022 yeah yeah no he had a great year I mean made an All-Star team and it was a in a strange way he made the All-Star team but he did make it um yeah I mean he’s a talented player there’s no doubt about it but I I think that Golden State be I feel like he used to be a thunder killer oh yeah he’s definitely been a thunder killer let me see uh he’s been a thunderer um what do you think about his overall impact um I think because he is like he does have something that other Thunder guys don’t have is like he’s got good size and strength and athleticism where you could put him at the four where like like you wouldn’t want to put Aaron Wiggins there you know and I think you could put this Wiggins Andrew Wiggins there so I think his impact would be pretty immediate I think he would contribute defensively you know right away and so he’s also Canadian you know you have three Canadians on you know in your starting lineup yeah three in the starting lineup wow and then once Zack EDI supps Chad that would be four shaki comes in four and then you get um Ken comes in and you know supplants um jdub it’s like get out of here jdub we need only Canadians no I think what was the what’s this is impact uh overall impact I think he would be like a three impact I think he would definitely impact the team but there’s just so many times during the Golden State season where he’s just feels absent and like is actually absent you know yeah that he just don’t I just don’t know I can’t I can’t give it any higher than a three uh his contract his contract is is not great he makes he has a player option and 26 27 for 30 million yeah I don’t like I don’t like that the 24 million is not bad that he had this year but it’s just goes up to 26 28 30 I don’t I think that that is actively hurtful to the Thunders cap sheet and to their actual like financial goals with this team so I think his contract is like a one yeah if we were talking about Andrew Wiggins coming off the the 22 Championship like contract is fine because you know that you’re getting a player who’s going to come close to that value but now you’re paying the value and just hoping he gets back somewhere close to it yeah just too risky when that’s going to that would soak up most of the available free space that you have uhuh it’s one move you could do basically it’s just people flip-flopped on him because it started out with like oh my gosh I can’t believe they gave him that money and then it’s like oh my gosh what a great value deals is the best value deal in the in the league right now and now everybody’s back to like I can’t believe they gave him that deal um okay last one how realistic Andrew oh a zero if I could give it a zero yeah I agree um okay now we’re moving on to the Kings Kings Sacramento Kings we got four Kings to talk about Four Kings oh I skipped Moses moody in case you’re wondering I removed him from the list I do still like Moses Moody but I couldn’t he didn’t really I can’t guarantee that he would be a part of a eight-man rotation when he couldn’t consistently break the rotation for a non-playoff team so uh that is why I removed him I still do like him and I would still talk myself very into it if they ever traded for him oh yeah more arkans I mean come on big wingspan guy yeah good wingspan guy are we doing this now is that what we’re doing no we’re not doing it no we’re not doing it let’s just say fives across the board okay just bring them in no next next we’re going to do H Harrison Barnes another player who his uh fan base is now very antsy about his uh contract he get an extension although it is just for two more years 18 and 19 uh didn’t have the greatest season although like statistically it seems fine um you know he still shot it well from three shot 41% from the corners 39% overall but he is a terrible rebounder especially for someone who like I mean he’s pretty established as a power forward and he’s just an awful rebounder now he does play with sabonis so that probably hurts him a little bit but um he’s just never been like an amazing rebounder okay fit with the Thunder Andrew Harrison Barnes Harrison barns I mean it’s just it feels like why is he like the most placeholder player in the NBA he might be he’s 32 I mean he he’s not I mean he can he can have a game here there where he’s like very impactful but I just it’s like a two it’s like like whatever like why like why would you even do it it’s just like is my question what are you what are we even doing he’s he’s definitely like a just something to do yeah you just got a little money to spend let’s just just just have this money laying around burning a hole in my pocket let’s just go get Harrison Barnes yeah something to do uh what do you think about his impact two I just don’t think he’d makes you all that better or all that worse yeah you go he he averaged in 30 minutes a game average 12 and three rebounds yeah I mean um it’s just he’s he just is there taking up space you know not killing you but not like taking you up a level you know he was so much better last year though I mean he’s he’s never been a great rebounder but like he got to the line five times a game last year yeah I don’t and that just that got cut in half even though he only was playing like three minutes l um okay what about his contract 18 and 19 so doesn’t extend beyond two years that’s nice again like very Harrison Barnes like placeholder like nothing not too good not too bad okay you know I’ll give I’ll give another two maybe we’ll do twos across the board except for how realistic is this oh it’s a one it’s just like why would you why in the world would you even do it like it just doesn’t make any sense I would agree with that now let’s move on to someone I do find a little bit more interesting and that is Kevin herder who also had a bad season um worse than Harrison Barnes uhuh I mean he just kind of vanished uh he did shoot 45% from the corner this season he had his worst shooting season overall though he shot 34% on above the break threes whereas you know traditionally he’s been a very good three-point shooter he does take a lot of them which is great over 10 three-point attempts per 100 possessions MH um he does have passing chops which that was other thing I didn’t bring up with both Wiggins and Barnes those guys aren’t aren’t really uh Playmakers in that way Kevin herder does have a little playmaking juice to him yeah um the reason why I’m I just I I I don’t know if I like him for the Thunder but the reason why I think another team should take a chance on him is I just think he had a really bad season and if you can get him for cheap he’s only 25 I still think he’s worth investing in his his contract isn’t crazy again I don’t know about for the Thunder but anyways 67 what do you think about his fit Kevin herder I kind of like herder honestly um kind like him too I I think maybe he’s a guy that you just acquire for a year and he’s good you know I don’t know like he was awesome for Sacramento in the 22 23 season like just he great like a game changer for them like a godsend and then last year it was just strange how much worse he was like I just don’t really understand what happened there he was getting a lot of the shine two years ago that like Malik monk was getting last year like he was kind of that extra boost for them that they had needed and they traded a first round pick for him and it really seemed like he was definitely living up to that it was a career year basically in every stat yeah um yeah everybody like on it ATA for dealing him yeah and you know he’s still a pretty young guy Ian he was only 25 this year only 25 I I like any trade that that gives the Thunder more shooting and if you believe in the shot and the passing and like he’s a movement guy he’s not a standstill guy yeah he’s got a little wiggle to him so um I I like I like herder I think he would I think he would play a nice role for the thunder so I think the fit is probably like a four wow what about the overall impact um it’s hard to say because again we we talked about this like how much better is he than Aaron Wiggins is like my like does he cross the Wiggins line is the question that I have um probably yes yeah I think definitely yes offensively he can he can just do more he’s had more responsibility throughout his career than wiggin yeah um defensively no and and another reason I knocked him personally for impact is he’s been awful in the playoffs so far it’s only 30 games but like he’s a career 30% shooter in the playoffs yeah shot 20% from three in that seven game series two seasons ago or last season I guess against the Warriors um which has been kind of a consistent thing he just hasn’t been great in the playoffs maybe it’s a fluke but uh so what do you think about his overall impact it’s probably like a two or a three like I don’t think he’s changing your world by any stretch and I don’t think that he comes in and like starts either so I’d probably say probably say a two he’s a bench shooter you know it’s not like like he you know it’s not like he’s going to come in and like take Isaiah Joe’s Place or something like I just um his contract 16.8 18 so only for the next two seasons um yeah it’s like a four it’s like it’s a good deal it’s something that you could easily you know basically tell Sacramento like hey we’ll give you basically draft Capital back you can like have a redo on this on this deal you know we’ll just take him yeah and then what about uh how realistic is this it’s probably like a two like I just don’t I don’t really see this like being high on the Thunder priority list like with what we said they have guys in Wiggins and Joe that are already set similar levels to him and so like what are we actually doing you know um moving on uh actually I’m gonna I’m gonna delete a few guys just letting you know okay um so we’re going to do Malik monk yeah restricted free agent obviously could be an incredible guard Off the Bench for the Thunder uh something they were definitely missing in the playoffs someone who can just come in and and score a ton of points and make it look easy a lot of nights so what do you think about the overall fit for Malik monk I think they do certainly need somebody off the bench like this I don’t love add adding another 63 guard though yeah that would be my only real like hang up on him the fact that he if he did come to Oklahoma City it would be via free agency or I guess it could be via signning trade too but yeah it would probably be via free agency that you could get him without giving up anything like that to me is like that would be one of the biggest things about it but in order for that to be the case you would have to overpay him um but I think fitwise they do need somebody off the bench so I’d say it’s like a four like I I think that they could really use a Creator to like come in and and spell jdub like if you had like a jdub Malik monk you know pick and roll where either one of them could be the ball handler it would be pretty interesting you know to see them use him in those kind of actions and Malik’s a pretty good passer too and I think he also has like really good energy uh he’s also a Arkansas guy it was from so I mean there add add either a Canadian or a guy from Arkansas to the Thunder roster so and and another Kentucky player and another Kentucky player that’s right um what about his impact overall impact I think he’d be very impactful I think he’d probably be a four to this team I think you would come in and you already have one of the best offenses in the league you just like add this jolt of scoring Off the Bench that you didn’t have last year that can create off the dribble uh yeah and an can play with lots of different players you know he show that he could play with Deen Fox just fine those are two small guards the Thunder don’t really have as far as like ball handlers go like you could play with jayd dub or you could play him in like a three guard lineup or you know there’s a lot of ways that you could use him so I like him um his contract you know it feels like minimum four years 100 million um if not higher apparently Detroit is interested and they have over 60 million gonna say Detroit’s interested you’re gonna get out bid yeah you know and if he’s just looking for for money now if you’re Malik you could look at the Thunder and just say like hey this is a better chance for me to win like at the highest level but you might not get the minutes that you got in Sacramento or that you would get definitely or you get in Detroit it would be he would have to decide that winning is a priority for him in his career over minutes and money honestly because he’s not going to get the same kind of shine that he would in either Market because they already have two guys here in Oklahoma City that supersede him so I would say you know he’s going he would have to decide that which makes this feel even more unlikely so are you giving it a one for realistic Andrew yeah I’ll give it a one I just don’t see it happening like I would I would be floored if we got like a report from Shams that’s like the Thunder you know our meeting with Malik Monk and he has like significant interest and signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder I would be so so surprised if that was the case yeah and and like we talked about with hartenstein like he would be so far and away the best free agent they’ve ever gotten you know it would be crazy and and someday and I and I’m I’m sure people are frustrated with me saying that but like someday there will be a free agent at this level that will consider the Thunder and that will sign with the Thunder someday will happen this isn’t a this isn’t like the thund signing like Luca you know in free agency or Jason Tatum or you know n there there’s all these players at this level you can get them if you want them you just have to usually overpay you have to overpay and if you don’t overpay you know and and maybe that’s the situation is like someday they will get somebody where they don’t necessarily have to overpay to a crazy degree but they just want to come be a part of what they’re doing you know I don’t know if that’s you know already that they want to do that I don’t know if that’s later I don’t know if that’s you know a mid-level deal that they sign you know whenever you know a couple years down the road like a whatever the mini mid level the taxpayer mid level is you know some at some point they’re going to get their pow Gasol or they’re going to get you know their guy that we had been dreaming of you know that I think that will happen as as the city and the team continue to evolve and show that like we’re we’re a real Force kind of like San Antonio you know San Antonio was off was thought to be a place where you couldn’t really get free agents either and LaMarcus Aldridge wouldn’t sign there that was a huge deal for San Antonio a huge deal I think something like that will eventually happen it just hasn’t happened yet um all right next up I’ll do Trey lyes okay 69ine 234 from the Kings on an $8 million expiring deal shot 39% from three 40% above the break uh took a decent amount of them too 9.2 threes per 100 possessions uh what do you think about the fit with Trey Lyles spacing big Andrew he does do that yeah um he’s an okay but not good rebounder he’s a he’s an okay passer the thing that the hangup that I have is if you’re going to bring in a guy at the four like they better be good defensively you know like is he your backup center now like what position is he playing for you um Andrew I mean you just why are we worried about positions anymore he played 70% of his possessions at Center 82% for but the previous season played 40% of his minutes at Center has been a positive in both of these last two seasons yeah on off he was a plus eight this season for the Kings yeah it just kind of scares me a little bit that it’s like that the Kings discovered that like yeah we can’t really play him at the four you know uh at the that’s where he played he played 82% of his minutes at the four I thought you said he played more minutes at the five this year no he only played 17 % of his minutes at the time okay yeah um okay I don’t know I’m not a huge Tre L guy I don’t I don’t he he’s whatever he’s a two okay he’s what what if I told you his nickname is Trey Mamba a one okay uh what do you think about his overall impact oh by the way he’s also Canadian true and he also went to Kentucky true would you like to bump up fit to a three I’ll bump it up to back up to a too okay uh overall impact you be like a two I mean he’s coming off the bench he’s basically like young smaller Mike muscala um no he’s better than that and his contract only $8 million expiring yeah it’s a good deal it’s a four okay and how realistic is this I mean like what are we what are we doing here I I don’t understand why you’re so angry at Trey Lyles I’m trying to find you I found you a big shooter okay who can come off the bench uh his rebounding is actually solid his rebounding appears low but that’s just minutes his actual rebound percentage 19.4% defensive rebound percentage that’s good that’s good that’s good yeah I just I don’t know what if’s what if he’s a diamond in the rough Andrew waiting to be unleash on a better team what’s the top what’s a top level outcome for Trey Lyles on the Thunder yeah yeah yeah uh he play he’s he’s the backup big he’s one of the backup bigs yeah basically all he has to do is just be better than jayw will essentially yeah so is see your backup center that’s just my that was my one of my original questions um he can play either he could play with Chad he could do whatever you want yeah I mean I I I don’t think um I don’t think he’d be super impactful but I do think he’d be an upgrade is what I’ll say I don’t he’s just he’s a he’s a pretty good shooter and he’s been a pretty consistently good shooter um yeah yeah 39% 37% 37% his last three seasons yeah no I think I think I think he would fit in Oklahoma City very well oh really because you gave his fit a two Andrew I’m just not inspired by it I guess I’ll give I’ll bump it up to a three I’ll bump it up to a three he would he would fit well he he might even be one of those guys that I think there are guys that get to Oklahoma City and they look better than they are oh wow I’m turning Andrew turning Andrew into a ly’s guy in real time yeah uh how realistic I think it’s like a one or a two probably I just don’t know if you’re the Kings and you’re trying to get better no I I don’t think they should trade them because they have money issues coming up and like why would you get rid of Trey L who’s on a super cheap deal you can worry about it next summer when you actually have to decide whether to pay him more but maybe you still get him on a reasonable deal because he’s gonna be 29 at that point yeah and like I don’t know what the price point is either for Trey oh I lost Alex Alex is gone I don’t know what the price point for Trey ly is I think like that is something that I would also wonder about it’s like how much do you actually give up to get Trey so like you’re not giving up a first round pick to get Trey ly so then it’s like is it worth it for the Kings to to take on second round picks to get him like I just don’t even know like it’s just one of those deals it’s all it would be like somebody calling about Aaron Wiggins it’s like no one’s giving a first round pick for Aaron wiin right but no the Thunder aren’t taking back like three second round picks for Aaron Wiggins either it’s just like well then like what are we this is why I’m just like what are we doing here it’s like it just doesn’t make sense for the Kings to just like dump him for three second round picks like it just is it’s he’s kind of in this Zone where it’s like yeah we’d like to have him on our roster he’s helpful to us and you know what about uh two seconds and kenri they don’t want to play kenri anymore no no man uh I have to go in two minutes so we’re going to not do Russell Westbrook you know what I’ll just give him a one for fit for you a one for impact actually let’s give him a two for impact yeah uh contract it’ll probably be cheap it’ll probably be cheap three four sure four um how realistic one I guess yeah you can go negative if you’d like uh and then then ruy just do ruy quick fit ruy fit ruy two impact uh three no contract you don’t think he’s an upgrader for Jay will I I just I’m not I’m not a ruy fan wow you love jwell what’s what is it I I just made the case for trading for TR I just don’t like ruy his contract 171 18.3 two years um it’s it’s good it’s like a four it’s easy what you love ruy this is the farthest apart we’ve been on someone and how realistic is this oh it’s like a one I just don’t think they’re trading him either all right we agree on that okay finally we get to the one I actually want to end on Kevin Durant all right here we go I have one minute I was gonna say I don’t think time for this should we save this one uh no because we we’ve talked about KD a bunch this is basically just a summation of all your thoughts on KD so what do you think the fit is with KD the I mean the fit is he’s the kind of guy that we talk about all the time like big forward that can shoot defend and do all these things the only reason I would knock it down a peg is like I just I don’t think it’s time to to bring in somebody that’s G to take shots away from jdub and Chad which he would certainly do so I’d say it’s a four okay overall impact it would be like a five like the the the wake of impact in almost every way on the court off the court everything like my life would fundamentally change in a big way if Kevin Durant was back on the Thunder yeah that’s true athletic might have to get a official Thunder writer for that one I know um his contract 51.2 54.7 it’s it’s probably like a three it’s it’s h huge but it’s only two years so like you can’t give it anything below that but it is a it’s a big Financial commitment for sure and how realistic Andrew this is where it’s tough I think it’s probably like a three okay like I don’t think it’s completely unrealistic uhhuh but I don’t think it’s like foregone conclusion like there are so many boxes to tick before you get there and also like if you’re the Thunder do you really want to do that you really really I mean there’s I mean you probably have to have 50 meetings before you decide to pull the trigger on something like this you know and Kevin undoubtedly wants to get to a better situation and there may not be a better situation for him in the NBA and that you get healing for your past sins you get to be on a title contending team you get to you know end your career gracefully you you C like I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that the Thunder retire Katie’s Jersey like that all goes away like it just is everything is so good for Kevin I would say like everything is good for Kevin and for the Thunder yes it’s good because you get much better but I think to me the Thunder can find other pieces and be a title Contender anyways like he doesn’t he doesn’t necessarily make you a title Contender I think they already are going to be one but he similar to like the Warriors like it just puts you over the edge in such a big way that it’s feels a little unfair um all right Andrew that means after we’ve done the entire Western Conference we have a new number one uh oh new number one overall Kevin Durant Drees Uh Kevin anant okay Time Lord lry marinan Larry an Jr and tide for fifth Nas Reed and Santi Alama it’s a pretty good list so far I would say that’s a nice list and guess what Russ is not last Russ is second to last yonas f junas is last junis for yonas so next week we will start on the Easter Conference and then combine all these together okay that was fun thanks thanks for thanks everybody for tuning in to this special edition of down to dunk um where we’re just trying to get through as many players as we can um please join us at the draft party at the Jones assembly um for just the first round I think we’re doing night two so uh please join us there we will have a fry pod tomorrow so join us there hope you guys have a great rest of your day we’ll talk to you guys again tomorrow

Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers discuss trade targets for the Thunder