Why this trade makes sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder

Draft picks, cap space and young talent. These are the three things GM Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder front-office are looking to get, which are the three things they get in this trade with Charlotte.

We talked about Jalen McDaniels and his potential earlier, but by making this trade, the Thunder would now have 39 draft picks through the 2027 NBA Draft, giving them enough picks to field more than two different teams. 

Obviously, the Thunder are not going to be keeping all of these picks, but the more they get, the better because they will have a chance to not only go after one or two All-Star caliber players in a trade, but possibly three and maybe four! If they were to make this trade, the Thunder would have about $86.4M in cap space and they already have high-level, young talents in SGA, Dort, Bazley and now emerging center Moses Brown. 

RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: Evaluating 4 biggest losers from 2021 NBA trade deadline

This team is in such a great position and by cutting ties with Horford in the offseason, they can get younger, get more draft assets and free up more cap space to potentially pull off one of the biggest trades in NBA history. 

The Thunder have the capability to virtually trade for anybody they want in this league because of the fact that they can offer up a tremendous amount of draft compensation. They could offer up 5+ first-round picks for any All-Star caliber talent and put together a pretty much irresistible trade package in terms of draft picks. 

While they may miss the playoffs this year, the Thunder wind up winning either way since they will end up with another high-level player from whoever they draft in the lottery. Win or lose game wise, Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s front-office are winning.