[Stein] With the top-4 picks considered “out of reach” by rival teams, Michigan’s Aday Mara would figure to be a more realistic trade-up target for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/monday-best-the-nbas-latest-trade?r=nuq3a&utm_medium=ios
The more pressing curiosity here is whether the Thunder — who hold the Nos. 12, 17 and 37 selections in next month’s draft as well as copious amounts of future draft capital — will try to trade up to bring in a highly rated big man or otherwise explore their trade options to add perimeter shooting to loosen things up around Gilgeous-Alexander with more floor spacing.
The above Jake Fischer piece from Wednesday noted that some rival teams have already begun wondering aloud whether Oklahoma City will try to trade up to Cam Boozer’s range. Since that would necessitate acquiring a pick in the top four — which many teams regard as out of reach even for the Thunder given the perceived determination of Washington, Utah, Memphis and Chicago to hang onto their precious top-four turns — Michigan’s Aday Mara would figure to be a more realistic trade-up target.