It’s been some week in the NBA.

A far-from-quiet week while the 21-1 Oklahoma City Thunder only seem to widen the gap between them and everyone else.

The gulf separating the reigning champs and the chasing pack has grown so preposterous: OKC was five games ahead of its closest pursuers in the Western Conference standings entering Thursday’s play … and nearly seven points per 100 possessions better than anyone else in defensive rating. And all of that doesn’t even take into consideration that three teams — Clippers, Jazz and 76ers — would have to ship their lottery picks to the Thunder as part of past trades if the season ended today.

You will find tons in today’s notebook about the Giannis Antetokoummpo trade landscape that finally appears to be starting to form and many more trade-related items as the launch to Trade Season on Dec. 15 draws near. Yet I wanted to make it clear, before covering all the latest ground, that the Thunder’s domination should be at the forefront of any truly educated trade contemplation you wish to discuss between now and the Feb. 5 buzzer for in-season deals … because that’s how the other 29 teams are approaching the deadline that is now just two months away.

How could this potential move help us dethrone the Thunder?

This is the context which pragmatic front offices are increasingly weighing. It’s a truism whether you’re another team out West hoping to knock the Thunder off their pedestal … or a team in the wide-open East hoping to be the next Indiana Pacers who win the right to take OKC on in the NBA Finals.

Adding Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a pretty ideal way to combat the Thunder. Maybe that’s a Captain Obvious statement, but it holds particular merit given how unlikely it seems that Oklahoma City itself would join the trade chase for the Milwaukee star in the event that the Bucks make him truly available.

How sure are we that the Thunder will not enter the fray? The obvious counter: Why would they when this team is absolutely, positively rolling? Swinging that big is not exactly a Sam Presti habit … especially during the season. Show me the last time that the Presti-led Thunder emptied their asset war chest in a deal. Even when Oklahoma City acquired Paul George from Indiana in July 2017, it came at a fraction of the cost that the LA Clippers paid to acquire George from the Thunder two years later.

For the rest of the league, though, Antetokounmpo’s status is a ceaseless curiosity.