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Would OKC Thunder consider making trade for Indiana Pacers' Jarace Walker?
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- Would OKC Thunder consider making trade for Indiana Pacers' Jarace Walker?
In this edition of the Thunder mailbag , we take a look at a hypothetical trade for OKC.
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@ElliottYinger: Trade proposal: Indiana sends Jarace Walker , Oklahoma City sends Josh Giddey and a 2024 first rounder (No. 12 via Houston ).
How quickly life changes. When this proposal was sent my way a few weeks back, Josh Giddey 's Thunder career was down to its final hours.
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At the time, two things were true: A marriage between Giddey and the Thunder , at least on-court, felt forced. And before the Bulls demonstrated their thirst, Giddey's value didn't seem worth a 1-for-1 swap for Alex Caruso .
But the deed is done. Oklahoma City's most obvious trade asset is gone. Other potential player assets, like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe , can't be aggregated in a trade for some months after their new deals. And after adding Isaiah Hartenstein , OKC's offseason has gone about as well as it could.
It's a possibility that Hartenstein was the last monumental piece to the Thunder's summer. Anything else could be considered greedy. But most contenders are.
If there's anything to pick at with the Thunder roster as it stands, it's that it could still use a starting-caliber player who looks more like an NBA power forward. A player with the size to defend behind Chet Holmgren , the shot to keep defenses honest, the ball skills to fit the system. Jarace Walker, young and underutilized, could be that.
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Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) brings the ball up court during the second half of an NBA basketball second round playoff game against the New York Knicks, Sunday, May 12, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana Pacers won, 121-89.
Personally, I'm a fan of Walker. Liked him in high school, liked him at Houston, still like him now from his cell in Indianapolis, where his talents are pushed further into the Pacers ' frontcourt mosh pit by the day.
The flashes have been encouraging. In theory, Walker is a play-finishing power forward with shotmaking prowess and the ability to defend multiple positions. Indiana just continues to fill its frontcourt, which hasn't led to enough playing time for Walker to test the theory.
From everything I've read, Indiana still highly values the 6-foot-7 sophomore, which is presumably why the above package included a first.
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For OKC, there's a lot to like. Walker fits what feels like Presti's overall timeline, though the Thunder is more equipped to win big than it was a year ago. Walker's flashes have been more encouraging than that of Ousmane Dieng , who'll seemingly get chances at cracking the rotation this winter. Walker is 20, so there'd be fewer questions as to how well he'd fit with a uniquely close-knit and vibrant group.
He'll need reps to fill the role, but the vision of Walker is that he could be a fifth starter.
With OKC's roster and new acquisitions, there's bound to be a myriad of lineups. Without being too imaginative, there will probably be plenty of games where Caruso and Lu Dort start together with Jalen Williams at the four. It's worth betting on games in which Holmgren and Hartenstein start together.
All of it puts less pressure on Walker to fill that role immediately.
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That's if Presti even holds any interest. He'd have to see value in Walker's development with where the Thunder is headed. He'd have to open up even more minutes while the possibilities of rookie Dillon Jones and unanswered questions of Dieng's potential remain on the docket.
Would Presti want to shift his priorities? Would he be willing to sift through his hoard of first-round picks after they've collected dust this offseason? If Presti opens up to the idea closer to the trade deadline, will he have reservations based on his miscalculations of the Gordon Hayward trade?
I don't doubt that Presti values Walker's mold. The question is how disruptive he feels it might be to the Avengers Initiative he's built as of this week.
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To make future editions of the mailbag, email questions to jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Would OKC Thunder consider trade for Indiana Pacers' Jarace Walker?
