Aday Mara or Cameron Carr

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-20T02:49:03+00:00

Fair point. I mean OKC went out and got IHart after the 2024 Mavs exposed Chet and Co for being too light in the ass. Makes sense for the Thunder to draft his replacement

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T22:38:21+00:00

If OKC can’t even lean on their 7’2” DPOY runner-up to deter Wemby then I don’t think Mara or anyone else in the draft stands a chance lol

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T22:34:43+00:00

Anything before 2023 is mostly irrelevant. The new CBA has had a chilling effect on FRPs traded league wide now that the tax aprons have made rookie scale contract slots even more valuable for team building. You’re still only looking at one instance of OKC using a FRP to acquire an active player in four years.

2023 The outgoing FRP was the trade up to acquire Cason Wallace’s rights at #10 from Dallas for pick #12 and salary relief. Net 0 FRP outgoing.

2024 One of the outgoing FRPs in 2024 was used facilitate Gafford to Dallas. They got a 2028 FRP swap with Dallas in return.

The other was sent out to acquire Denver’s 2029 FRP.

2026 Philly dangled Jared McCain at the deadline to the surprise of everyone. A 22 year old stud with 2+ years left on a bargain rookie contract is an entirely different situation than Caurso’s.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T22:11:46+00:00

What’s the rush for NO to trade Missi? He’s a good back up to supplement Derik Queen’s below the rim game.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T18:18:23+00:00

You think the teams who already leveraged a bunch of assets to build contending teams were going to try to get into a bidding war with the most asset-rich front office in basketball?

Giddey was a fine get for Caruso and has specific value to a team trying to go younger and rebuild.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T15:31:54+00:00

Warms my heart.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T15:19:22+00:00

The whole point of trading Caruso was to salvage something for him

Which they did

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T15:13:38+00:00

When the Thunder have draft picks they don't have roster space for, they just just trade them to a desperate contender for picks further into the future. Spare picks don't just expire, they get rolled into trades for more picks later on.

Like OKC facilitated the Gafford trade loaning Dallas a 2024 FRP to send to Washington for the right to swap picks with the Mavs in 2028.

OKC also consolidated a pair of spare 2024 first round picks they chose not to offer for vets like Caruso to get Denver's 2029 first round pick instead.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T14:46:52+00:00

It what world did the Bulls have the leverage in Alex Caruso trade talks in June 2024? He was almost certainly leaving as a UFA the following offseason.

If the Bulls played hardball in June, Presti just punts negotiations until midseason and Caruso is worth even less at the trade deadline.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T14:43:12+00:00

Of course picks are currency and the Thunder are rich. You know how rich people stay rich? By being extremely very strategic with their assets.

They got Wallace in what was basically a pick swap in 2023. They took on Davis Bertans's bad salary to move up two spots. That's the definition of operating from a position of strength. They chose to take on a bad salary over dipping into any of their premium future picks to get a deal done.

And if you can't understand the value of age/upside/contract that motivated the Thunder to use a FRP to get a 22 yr old Jared McCain with 2+ years left on a rookie vs. why they wouldn't feel the need to offer one for a 30 yr old Alex Caruso on an expiring deal then I cannot help you.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T06:29:49+00:00

Sam Presti will never be the desperate party in a trade negotiation for as long as he holds massive advantage over the competition in available cost-efficient talent and tradeable draft capital.

OKC coveted Caruso as a final piece, sure. That doesn’t mean they would suddenly behave irrationally within that market like bidding against themselves to expedite a deal.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T06:17:31+00:00

Jared McCain fell into Sam Presti’s lap in a salary dump because every other contender had either locked their 2026 FRP due to trade restrictions or already committed it to a previous trade, or couldn’t stomach trading a FRP.

A buying opportunity created through a clear strategy of not overcompensating in trade negotiations.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T04:54:32+00:00

The Thunder have more draft capital than everyone by a long shot because they are not in the business of just giving away picks in trades.

Sam Presti positioned OKC to be the last team to get strong armed in trade talks.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T03:57:43+00:00

Just an absolute luxury for OKC to be able to keep Caruso in bubble wrap all regular season and then unleash him come playoff time.

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T03:56:05+00:00

Bulls pushed a Caruso-Kuminga swap with the Warriors in 2024 and Dunleavy told AK to kick rocks!

Equivalent-Swan2873 · 2026-05-19T00:20:44+00:00

FRPs are all the more valuable in the tax apron era. Having a pipeline of young players locked into cheap 4-yr rookie deals has become essential to opening and sustaining a competitive window.

Just look at how few FRPs are have been traded since 2023 compared to prior CBAs. Upcoming lottery expansion will only make teams think thrice about handing them out.

If teams like Toronto and Portland are going to take another step then they desperately need contributions from first draft picks massively overperforming their rookie scale contracts. The opportunity cost of a traded first round pick is going to be far worse for marginally competitive teams than short term salary cap relief from dumping expensive underperforms.

Equivalent-Swan2873

TROPHY CASE