During the video version of his 2022 NBA mock draft following the NBA draft lottery, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor expressed his excitement over the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Jabari Smith Jr. second overall.
During his analysis, O’Connor added an interest side note about how he doesn’t believe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a guarantee to be on the team for the long run as he thinks Josh Giddey will be.
“I think it’s worth noting as a quick aside here, (Josh) Giddey’s likely there for the long term, that (Shai) Gilgeous-Alexander stuff — he’s already into his second contract. They already had trade talks potentially trying to go for Cade Cunningham last year according to multiple reports. He’s not necessarily a part of the long-term future. Maybe he’s a guy they flip again, but why would you not want to keep Gilgeous-Alexander? He’s just the guy that you’d be open to moving if the deal’s right.”
Hearing this might be a little concerning for the Thunder fanbase as Gilgeous-Alexander is easily the best player on the team currently. He also fits relatively well with a potential Giddey and Smith Jr. timeline as they will all be 24 years old, 20 years old and 19 years old respectively at the start of the 2022-23 season.
From what it sounds like, it seems like this is more O’Connor spitballing with the Gilgeous-Alexander stuff than it is about him reporting anything he knows. The Gilgeous-Alexander for Cunningham stuff is pretty interesting though as some have reported that to be the case, so O’Connor chiming in and saying it happened adds more legitimacy to the rumor.
Either way, it’s too early to worry about Gilgeous-Alexander’s long-term future with the team. There’s always a possibility that he’s not here for the long run, but that shouldn’t be on the fanbase’s mind as of right now as the team prepares to select second overall for the first time since Kevin Durant in 2007.
Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract for the Thunder until 2027 as his rookie extension kicks in next season. To read what else O’Connor had to say about why the Thunder should take Smith Jr. second overall, here’s the full analysis transcribed.
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