Will the OKC Thunder be in the Trade Market Around the February Deadline?

Oklahoma City has had a strong start to the season, but could look to improve its roster later in the season after the team's offense has had a few hiccups early in the year.

Sam Presti speaks to the press in Oklahoma City, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma City is 7-1 heading into their Sunday evening contest against the Warriors.

As expected, the Thunder have been one of the NBA's best teams early in the season. Still, Mark Daigneault's group needs to improve on offense after multiple slow starts to the current campaign.

OKC has had a few strong offensive performances this season, including a 127-point outing against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, but has been largely inconsistent on that side of the court so far this season.

The team's leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is averaging around four fewer points per game on slightly lower effiency than he averaged in 2023-24. Jalen Williams is averaging 19 points per game once again this year, but has seen his field goal percentage drop by over six percent from where it was last season.

Alex Caruso, who was supposed to help open Daigneault's five-out offense more than Josh Giddey could, is averaging 3.4 points per game while shooting 27.9% from the field.

With a little less offensive production than the team likely anticipated, Sam Presti and company could be in the trade market before the February deadline to help jumpstart the team's scoring punch.

Of course, Oklahoma City's offense could look much different once Isaiah Hartenstein returns from injury and Presti would likley wait until he has seen Daigneault's offense with its new center before making a decision.

Additionally, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Caruso could all see an uptick in their offensive production at any point, eliminating the team's immediate need for another scorer.

Zach LaVine is commonly mentioned in trade conversations and would provide the Thunder another solid scoring option, but the Bulls wing has a huge contract and would require a blockbuster move from both sides.

Former OKC forward Jerami Grant was also included in recent trade rumors and could be another solid offensive addition if the Thunder decide to add another player before the deadline.

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