3 trades the Thunder need to make for big man depth after Chet Holmgren injury

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2024-25 season thinking that center was suddenly a position where the team had an advantage; with Chet Holmgren gaining another year of experience and free agent signee Isaiah Hartenstein ready to operate as a top-tier backup, the Thunder were pretty much set at the five.

We're now three weeks into the season and the Thunder have lost both of those centers to injury. Hartenstein fractured his hand during a preseason game and has missed the entire season to this point. Luckily, the Thunder have functioned at a high level without him. But as Hartenstein's return nears, Holmgren is now sidelined with a fractured pelvis for at least a few months. That sounds horrendously painful.

A full-strength OKC has a very good frontcourt, but this is not a full-strength OKC. Even when Hartenstein returns, the Thunder will be a little thin at the five, so here are three potential big man trades the Thunder can make to ease the pain of Holmgren's absence.

1. Thunder make a swap with the Atlanta Hawks

Thunder fans probably won't love this one on first glance — Lu Dort has been a fan favorite in OKC for years now — but this trade is productive for OKC for a few reasons. First and foremost, it fixes OKC's center problem. Although a Chet Holmgren return seems probable at some point this year, it would be silly for OKC to sit on its hands until he returns sometime in 2025.

Clint Capela isn't a high-level scorer like Chet Holmgren is but he's been reliable for years now, providing rim protection and screen-setting for Trae Young. His role in OKC would be similar: just do big-man stuff. His contract expires at the end of this season, meaning this would be a rental for the Thunder, but it has the potential to be a very good rental. Even in the postseason, when Holmgren and Hartenstein are hopefully back in OKC's lineup, Capela could bring a nice change of pace for a few minutes a game.

Plus, the Atlanta Hawks should be thrilled to make this trade. Clint Capela is a playable center but he's 29 years old and doesn't serve much purpose on an Atlanta team that will hover around .500 again this year, especially when Hawks backup center Onyeka Okungwu can probably serve as a good starting center in his own right. Getting Dort would feel much more meaningful for this team than letting Capela's contract run out not recouping any assets for him.

2. OKC deals with the Utah Jazz for a high-level rim protector

This is probably an overpay from the Thunder, but they have so many draft picks in the next few years that shipping out this pick won't make a dent in their reservoir of assets. Philadelphia is struggling to get off the ground right now so this pick looks pretty juicy at the moment, but in all likelihood that pick ends up being somewhere in the mid-teens. In a loaded 2025 draft, that's still a dang good pick for Utah to pick up.

Walker Kessler is one of the best shot-blockers in the league, averaging 2.4 swats per game during his short career. He doesn't space the floor at all but the Thunder have enough floor-spacers elsewhere that rim protection and defending should be the main priorities when searching for an extra center on the trade market.

3. Oklahoma City and the Bucks spring a deal

At times, Bobby Portis has been a massively important player for the Milwaukee Bucks, especially in the team's 2021 NBA Finals run. But he's struggled to start the 2024-25 season — granted, most players on the Bucks have struggled to start the season, so he can't be blamed for the Bucks brutal start. A new home could do wonders for Portis, and OKC could be a perfect home. Portis stretches the floor but can also bang down low in the paint. He's an ideal fill-in while OKC's centers recover from injury, and Mark Daigneault can just slide him over to power forward when Chet and Isaiah Hartenstein return.

Milwaukee gets some desperately-needed wing depth in Williams, plus a young player in Dieng who could still develop into an exciting player down the line. It's not time to throw this season in the trash yet, but a switch-up like this could do the Bucks wonders.