The NBA has become a predictable cycle to some degree. A young star thrives on a rebuilding team,gets frustrated with all the losing, and forces his way out. That’s especially common in small-market teams.
Donovan Mitchell’s situation was just another example of that trend. While Mitchell didn’t formally request a trade, it became evident that he had already outgrown the team and wouldn’t be happy with a rebuild.
So, that’s why some around the league speculate that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be the next young star to be traded. With that in mind, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti had to clear the air.
NBA News: Sam Presti Denies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Trade Rumors
“The only reason we’re talking about it is because another player on another team got traded,” Presti said, per The Norman Transcript. “The aggregation machine is empty now, so we need a little more content. No one is out to try to disrupt the Thunder or create problems for the Thunder. It’s just this is the business we work in. You shouldn’t be surprised by that because there needs to be content. It’s a business.”
“We have a pretty long runway with this particular team,” Presti added.”Shai is just entering pre-prime years. Josh, Chet, some of the other guys we have, are still a few years away from getting to that point. But at some point here in the near future, you’re going to have those tenures overlap, so to speak, and that’s extremely exciting when you think about the progress that the guys have made.”
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The Thunder have a plethora of draft picks and young players, but they’ve made it clear that they’re building around Shai. Still, we wouldn’t be shocked to see him change his stance if they don’t start winning some games and making the playoffs soon.
