OKC Thunder Considering Trade For Indiana Pacers' Jarace Walker?

In this edition of the Thunder Mailbag, we 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-round pick (No. 12 via Houston).

Life changes so quickly. When this offer was sent to me a few weeks ago, Josh Giddey’s career with the Thunder was in its final hours.

At the time, two things were true: A marriage between Giddey and the Thunder, at least on the court, seemed forced. And before the Bulls demonstrated their hunger, Giddey’s value didn’t seem worth a 1-for-1 trade for Alex Caruso.

But the deed is done. Oklahoma City’s most obvious trade asset is gone. Other potential players, like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, can’t be packaged into a trade until a few months into their new contracts. And after the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC’s offseason has gone about as smoothly as it could.

Hartenstein may have been the last big thing in the Thunder’s summer. Anything less could be considered greed. But most contenders are.

If there’s one thing to criticize about the Thunder’s current roster, it’s that they 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. Young and underutilized Jarace Walker could be that player.

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Personally, I’m a Walker fan. I liked him in high school, I liked him in Houston, and I still like him today from his cell in Indianapolis, where his talents are pushed further and further in the Pacers’ mosh pit.

The flashes have been encouraging. In theory, Walker is a power forward who finishes well, has shooting prowess and the ability to defend multiple positions. Indiana continues to fill its forward line, which hasn’t allowed Walker to play enough to test the theory.

From everything I’ve read, Indiana still rates the 6-foot-7 sophomore highly, which is probably why the above package included a freshman.

For OKC, there’s a lot to like. Walker fits what appears to be Presti’s overall schedule, though the Thunder are better equipped to win big than they were a year ago. Walker’s flashes have been more encouraging than those of Ousmane Dieng, who appears to have a shot at being a part of the rotation this winter. Walker is 20, so there would be fewer questions about whether he’d fit into a particularly tight and dynamic group.

He’ll need reps to fill that role, but Walker’s vision is that he could be a fifth starter.

With OKC’s roster and new additions, there are bound to be a myriad of lineups. Without getting too imaginative, there will likely be plenty of games where Caruso and Lu Dort start together with Jalen Williams at the back four. It’s worth betting on games where Holmgren and Hartenstein start together.

All of this puts less pressure on Walker to fill that role immediately.

That’s assuming Presti is interested. He should see the value in Walker’s development in the direction the Thunder are headed. He should earn even more minutes as rookie Dillon Jones’ prospects and unanswered questions about Dieng’s potential remain on the table.

Would Presti change his priorities? Would he be willing to sift through his first-round picks after they gather dust this summer? If Presti does open the idea as the trade deadline approaches, will he have reservations because of his miscalculations regarding the Gordon Hayward trade?

I have no doubt that Presti likes Walker’s model. The question is how much he thinks it could disrupt the Avengers Initiative he set up this week.

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To participate in future editions of the letters column, email your questions to [email protected] or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi.