Grade the trade: Thunder take West over, shun Warriors in blockbuster deal

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the No. 1 seed in a competitive Western Conference last season despite the second-youngest roster in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a bonafide MVP candidate, while Chet Holmgren finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and Jalen Williams took a sizable sophomore leap.

Rather than resting on their laurels this summer, Sam Presti has finally implemented an aggressive approach to team-building. OKC isn't sitting back to canvass the league and wait its turn. The Thunder are operating like a team dedicated to winning it all right now, as they should be.

What's so great about OKC's rebuild is that they can maintain long-term flexibility and sustainability, while also putting a competitive roster together in the short term. Trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso was an all-time heist, while prying Isaiah Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks addresses OKC's primary weakness — a lack of physicality on the glass and in the paint defensively.

These upgrades put OKC close to the top of the Western Conference hierarchy, if not at the very top. Ask me to predict the NBA Finals matchup next season and I'd probably say Celtics-Thunder. And yet, OKC still has the deepest reservoir of future draft picks in the league, as well as plenty of young talent to float in trade conversations. Even better, OKC still has the financial flexibility to accommodate a max contract.

A new trade proposal from Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report has OKC boosting its title claim and one-upping the Golden State Warriors with a blockbuster acquisition of Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen.

Here are the full details.

Thunder-Jazz trade to pair Lauri Markkanen and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, flatline Warriors

In short, Oklahoma CIty lands the offseason's most coveted trade target without sacrificing a single starter, nor even touching their best prospects. And, it's a great haul for the Jazz, acquiring two lottery picks in Nikola Topic and Ousmane Dieng, a solid rotation wing in Kenrich Williams, and enough draft capital to appease Danny Ainge while resetting Utah's competitive clock.

Now, odds are the Jazz would ask for more. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are off the table, but the Thunder will struggle to keep Cason Wallace out of these conversations — especially if Sam Presti isn't willing to sacrifice more than three first-round picks. OKC can afford more than three first-round picks, though, so there's a version of this trade in which the Thunder basically coast on future picks.

Markkanen is due $18 million this season and becomes eligible for a max extension in August. OKC would need to plan around that inevitable pay raise, while also accounting for Holmgren and J-Dub's inevitable rookie-scale max contracts in a couple years. This OKC core will get expensive eventually, especially if Wallace, Topic, and all these lotto picks hit. That is the case for OKC not cashing in their NBA Draft treasure trove. The best way to circumvent the restrictions of the new collective bargaining agreement is to add contributors on four-year rookie contracts.

And yet, competitive windows don't stay open forever, even for teams in OKC's exceedingly unique position. The NBA is always unpredictable. There's no guarantee that OKC can actually keep this group together for a decade. As such, gunning for it now is a reasonable, maybe even an essential approach. Markkanen moves the needle in a big way, adding one of the NBA's best shooters and play-finishers to a lineup brimming with rim-pressure guards and high-level creators.

Markkanen is a true 7-footer who can wheel it around screens into movement 3s, attack seams in the defense as a straight-line driver, and weaponize his size to score over mismatches. He's not much of a passer or even a prolific self-creator, but that's not necessary in OKC. He can play to his strengths and thrive, all while accentuating the Thunder's core.

Topic is an awesome prospect for the Jazz, while Dieng is worth a few years of patience. Kenrich Williams can net another second-round pick or two in a future trade, maybe more. All that's missing is a little something more, whether it's Cason Wallace or a couple extra first-round picks to really sweeten the pot. One has to imagine the competitive marketplace can drive up the price in Utah's favor.

Thunder grade: A-
Jazz grade: C+