The NBA trade deadline came and went and the Oklahoma City Thunder stood pat on Thursday. This is a little bit surprising as the rebuilding Thunder had two veterans on cheap deals in Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala has reportedly garnered trade interest as they are both having career seasons. More so the former than the latter because Muscala is currently indefinitely out due to an ankle injury that might require offseason surgery.
The Thunder’s reported asking price for Williams was a first-round pick. So it appears that was never offered by any interested team as Williams stays put. Now, this does not mean that neither Williams nor Muscala can get traded. Both have team options for next season, which means that they could still be shipped off in the offseason.
All in all, considering how the Thunder are a rebuilding team with two older veterans having career seasons on cheap salaries, it’s a bit surprising that the team did not sell high on their trade value in exchange for draft picks and/or young talent.
The Thunder only made one trade this week and that involved the Miami Heat in exchange for KZ Okpala and adjustments made to the 2023 first-round pick the Heat owed the Thunder. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault mentioned Wednesday that Okpala’s status with the team will be determined after the deadline.
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