NBA Draft Trade Rumors: Oklahoma City Thunder Shay Kilgius-Alexander Already Too Good To Drop

Since being ranked 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft Los Angeles Clippers – via Charlotte Hornets – Shay Gilgius-Alexander Established himself as one of the best young guards in the entire NBA. He started 73 games as a player for the Clippers, and as a result of his promising play he was named the second team All-Rookie. After the season, he was considered the centerpiece of the Oklahoma City Thunder set, which combined the clippers into a perennial All-Star. Paul George, And since joining Thunder Kilgius-Alexander continues to flourish as a player.

This past season, Gilgius-Alexander took a big step in terms of production and performance. He averaged points (23.7) per game and (5.9) per game, while shooting 50 percent off the ground and 41 percent over long distances. The 23-year-old looks like a future perennial all-star, despite his season being cut short due to a tear in his seasonal fascia. Only four players at the Western Conference averaged 20 points per game and five assists averaged more than 50 percent off the field and more than 35 percent from the 3-point range last season. Kilgius-Alexander was one of them. The other three Nicola Jogic, LeBron James And Kavi Leonard.

Going to the edge, spacing the floor with his shot, and setting up his teammates as a guard, a restructuring team like Kilgius-Alexander, Thunder seems like the kind of player who wants to build around in today’s NBA. , Both safety games and floor space are at a premium. Plus, he’s as advanced as he has been accused of, and he has the potential to be elite on the other end of the floor – his size – he’s 6’6 “- and his athleticism.

Despite this, Thunder seems to be at least somewhat open to the idea of ​​trading Gilgius-Alexander – for the right price, frankly. A statement from Matt Baback of Basketball News Kilgius-Alexander and suggested that Thunder offer the sixth overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft Pistons In return for the best choice – an offer rejected by Detroit. A separate statement from Jack Fischer of Bleacher Report The Thunder Guard suggested “can’t get it anymore”.

Very few players in the NBA are truly untouchable in trade negotiations, and Gilgius-Alexander is not one of them. But, he needs to be close. If the Thunder have a chance to land an established star player splitting up with Kilgius-Alexander, of course, they can do it. Outside of that, it looks like he’s a player who should catch Thunder when they try to recreate himself as a competitor in the years to come. He has not come close to scratching his ceiling as a player, and at the age of 23, he still has 10 years left. Playing the best, potential, or elite guard in a decade in a guard-dominated league is the most valuable thing.

Kilgius-Alexander was drafted 11th, but he trades him for an unknown like a top five talent, and a draft pick, or anything short of a player already superior to him, doesn’t make much sense. If you were drafted as a reconstruction team, you would hope to land a player like Kilgius-Alexander. In addition, it is not like Thunder Required Between 2021 and 2027 they are 34 (i.e.) even more choices. If they score even in those few exams, they will be well-balanced with young talent.

In his fourth NBA season, Kilgius-Alexander deserves an extension this summer – at the end of the Oklahoma City season – addressed Thunder general manager Sam Presty.

“We have a great conversation and we can get Shay coming in the offseason.” Presty said. “We look forward to it. The impact he has made on the team is very obvious. We think he’s the brightest rising player in the NBA. We can not be too excited about the progress he has made, both as a player but as a leader of the year.”

Some may point to the accidental extension as one reason why Thunder might look to trade Gilgius-Alexander, instead of paying him big bucks right now. However, the holes in that argument could be triggered very quickly because if the team is really determined to move him, he will be more valuable as a commercial asset in the team control contract for many years, which is not the case. Fresti has proven to be a brilliant administrator, so it can only be assumed that he realized how valuable Gilgius-Alexander was. He has the products of a future star, and as a reconstruction team, Thunder will need them. So, it would be wise to grab something they already have.