Ranking Thunder's Top Trade Targets After 2024 NBA Playoff Loss

The Oklahoma City Thunder used the 2023-24 NBA season to gain entry into the Association's elite tier.

Their second-round loss to the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, though, suggests this roster doesn't have quite enough to compete for the crown.

Given the collective age of this group, it's possible that more time and development could bridge that gap, but maybe Oklahoma City isn't willing to wait that long. Or perhaps this front office isn't fully convinced that seasoning is all that's missing from this championship recipe.

With the league's strongest asset collection at their disposal, the Thunder could be major players in this summer's trade market should they opt to pursue that path. If they are on the hunt for an external upgrade, the following three players could all provide that.

While there weren't a ton of eyeballs on the 67-loss Wizards this season, those who tuned into the District surely took note of Deni Avdija's best campaign to date—by a mile.

The 23-year-old had largely led an anonymous NBA existence to this point (beyond being the No. 9 pick in 2020), impressing with his defense but raising major big-picture questions about his offensive outlook. He didn't completely silence that skepticism this season, but he quieted about as much as he could.

His season-long stats were essentially a string of personal-bests—including 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists—and his play down the stretch suggested even bigger numbers could be possible down the line. His post-All-Star averages included 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while seven of his eight 24-plus-point outbursts occurred between February and April.

He showed enough progress to cast not insignificant doubt over Washington's willingness to trade him, but if any team can open a conversation, it's one with a draft pick stash as rich as Oklahoma City's. If the Thunder are considering a split from Josh Giddey, Avdija could help fill the playmaking void he'd leave behind while offering substantially better defense and more versatility on the game's less glamorous end.

The Thunder don't have many deficiencies, so populating their hypothetical wish list is a bit tricky. However, if they had their choice of roster additions, a two-way wing with good and size and length might be their preference.

That's Mikal Bridges in a nutshell. He isn't quite huge (6'6", 209 lbs), but his sweeping wingspan (7'1") allows him to bother even the best big-wing scorers. Despite carrying a massive offensive burden in Brooklyn, he still found the energy to be active enough defensively to land in the 80th percentile for defensive estimated plus/minus, per Dunks & Threes.

Now, imagine what he could do when not tasked with carrying such a heavy offensive load. Actually, you don't have to imagine it. Just go back and see what he did with the 2021-22 Phoenix Suns, who had three players ahead of him on the scoring hierarchy. With Bridges better able to dig in defensively, he snagged a spot on the All-Defensive first team and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

That's the best version of Bridges, a fully dominant defender who capably handles tertiary scoring duties and feasts on catch-and-shoot opportunities. That's also the role he could play in Oklahoma City, likely settling in behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (and maybe Chet Holmgren) on the offensive pecking order. Bridges could be subjectively awesome as a support piece for the Thunder, who have enough draft picks to at least make the Nets think about letting him go.

To be clear, there are no signs that Utah is remotely interested in trading Lauri Markkanen. If anyone can convince the Jazz to soften that stance, though, it's the Thunder with their ability to pile up picks and prospects in a future-focused trade package.

Now, it might take a fortune to even get Utah's attention. As The Athletic's Tony Jones put it, "it's going to take an offer that is probably not going to come to pry him from the Jazz."

That sounds ominous for almost everyone. Oklahoma City could be the one exception. Even if it took a handful of draft picks to get Utah talking, that's a price this franchise can afford to pay.

And Markkanen sure seems worthy of a splurge. He'd check most every wish-list item for the Thunder, including size (7'0", 240 lbs), scoring (23.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.2). Even if a move to the Sooner State cut into his volume, it might boost his efficiency and improve his defensive effort (which is already pretty great). A trade for Markkanen could have finishing-piece potential for the Thunder if he fit as well in practice as he does on paper.