Tag: Ramona Shelburne

Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne argue the Thunder could theoretically trade for any superstar

“They have enough assets and they have a superstar already there in SGA that they can build a superteam tomorrow.”

It seems the Oklahoma City Thunder will be a popular name when discussing landing spots for disgruntled superstars for the foreseeable future.

Given former MVP winners such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid could eventually ask out of their current situations, the Thunder will be mentioned as a possible suitor due to their rich number of assets.

In the latest episode of “The Lowe Post,” both Zach Lowe and Ramona Shelburne agreed they think the Thunder could trade for any available superstar if they really wanted to. Both ESPN NBA experts believe OKC has deeper pockets than the rest of the league due to future draft picks and young players.

The pair discussed what a trade market would look like for Antetokounmpo, who’s openly talked about potentially moving on from the Milwaukee Bucks if they age out of their championship window.

Lowe said: “(OKC has) everything any team could possibly want. Including like, ‘Take your pick. You don’t want our picks because we’re going to get a superstar in this trade? You want some Clipper picks? You want some Rockets picks?… We got picks from everybody.'”

Shelburne said: “When I look at that, I keep coming back to the Thunder too for every single superstar who’s maybe on the move. If you’re a superstar and you say you want to win, and you’re looking at that roster with Shai … I want to play with that dude. All the other assets they have — they have enough assets and they have a superstar already there in SGA — that they can build a superteam tomorrow if they have the stomach for trading for whoever and hoping they want to stay.”

Lowe added: “They have three — at least three — legit, very enticing prospects that a team could talk themselves into being multi-time All-Stars. If you’re high on Josh Giddey, that’s what you think he’s going to be. If you’re high on Jalen Williams, that’s what you think he’s going to be. If you’re high on Chet Holmgren, that’s what you think he’s going to be.”

This is pretty high praise to hear from two of the more famous NBA media figures. On paper, the argument is sound. The Thunder are swimming with future draft picks from multiple teams and look like they have hit on most — if not all — of their lottery picks.

If the Thunder wanted to pry open a title window, they theoretically could. The one downside, which both Lowe and Shelburne also discussed, is how open a former MVP in their prime would be to willingly spend several years in OKC.

Under the Giannis hypothetical, he’d only be in OKC for one season if a trade happens next summer. He owns a player option for the 2025-26 season at $51.9 million.

It’d be a risky move for the Thunder. They could lose several cheap years of service from upcoming talent Holgrem/Williams/Giddey for a possible 30-year-old rental.

It’s a delicate situation the Thunder will need to perfect when/if they decide to go for it and make a massive win-now move. Acquiring a player the caliber of Antetokounmpo with no long-term commitment from him is a boom-or-bust move.

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ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne provides latest update on Sixers’ Joel Embiid

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne gives the latest update on Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid’s injury.

The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing for, in all likelihood, the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, and the big focus is going to be the health of Joel Embiid. The big fella missed Philadelphia’s Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round due to a right knee injury.

The assumption is Embiid will be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but there is no guarantee. His status will depend on how he continues to recover and goes through the week of practice leading into the semifinals.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne gave the latest update on Embiid:

He has a sprained LCL in his right knee, that’s the lateral collateral ligament and when he first went down with his injury, the sense is that it’s gonna be a one, maybe two weeks depending on how he feels. Now he’s gonna be reevaluated in the middle of this week, but the injury happens on a on April 20 and the second round starts April 29. That’s right in that window where he could come back in time. That’s why Doc Rivers says ‘I don’t know, maybe,’ but what kind of Joel Embiid are we going to see? Because Joel Embiid with a knee injury, with a big ol brace we’ve seen him play like that, that’s not what anyone in Philadelphia was hoping for when you went into this season after the kind of year he’s had.

It’ll depend on what happens in his evaluation this week in the middle of the week, and I’m told he’s doing better. Like he’s moving around better, the swelling has subsided, but when he gets in there with the doctors and they see how he feels, you’re not gonna push it with something like that. In terms of severity of this, it’s something he can come back from. but an LCL is an LCL.

The assumption should be that Embiid will be ready to go for Game 1, but he is likely not going to be 100% and that is the big concern. The Sixers had their issues with the Celtics during the regular season and they needed the big fella to go get 52 points just to win one game. It will be interesting to see how the Sixers handle his injury and recovery as Philadelphia moves forward with its title quest.

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