Jan. 31, 2026, 2:01 p.m. CT
Less than a week remains until the NBA trade deadline. On Feb. 5, we’ll find out how much teams changed up their rosters for the home stretch of the season. It’s the last chance for contenders to add more pieces and for rebuilding situations to add more draft capital.
Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder sit atop the NBA standings, a mediocre month-plus has cracked open the door to a possible move. Specifically, what the offense looks like when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is off the floor.
Maybe everything will get fixed when the Thunder are fully healthy. But that’s not a guarantee, considering the injuries they’ve juggled all season.
All that said, Thunder Wire will list out four candidates for the guard, forward and center positions that the Thunder could target. Let’s look at four guards:
1. Ayo Dosunmu
This would be a rich offense that instantly upgrades their secondary offense. Dosunmu has been a fixture in the Bulls’ rotation for the last five seasons. He’s in the final year of his contract, which means Chicago could look to flip him for assets. Would be perfect timing as he’s enjoyed a career season. He’s averaged 14.8 points on 51.2% shooting, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds. He’s shot 44.1% from 3 on 4.2 attempts.
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Yes, please. To all of that, if you’re OKC. The asking price would certainly be rich, but the Thunder can afford to overpay in a possible trade. He’d immediately be one of their three best shot creators. The outside shooting would also be a welcome addition. He can seamlessly fit into a bench role.
2. Gary Trent Jr.
Not exactly as splashy as the one above, but Trent Jr. could help the Thunder with outside shooting. That’s been their biggest weakness over the years. He’s averaged 8.2 points and 1.5 assists. He’s shot 35.7% from 3 on 5.5 attempts. The latter numbers are what’s important here.
This move won’t exactly shake up the rotation, but give the Thunder another outside shooter. The defensive limitations will stop him from getting serious minutes, but he’d be a great end-of-bench guy who could thrive playing alongside Gilgeous-Alexander with the number of open looks he’d get.
3. Keon Ellis
Out of the Kings’ rotation, Ellis could benefit from a fresh start. He’d be a good buy-low candidate as his numbers are down across the board. If the Thunder add him, it’s because they’re confident they can get more out of him than one of the worst NBA situations. He’s averaged 5.6 points and 1.3 rebounds. He’s shot 36.8% from 3 on 3.3 attempts. While not a gunner, he’d help with their outside shooting.
What could help Ellis’ case even more is his defense. He’s averaged 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks. Despite being undersized, he’s shown he can stay up front of perimeter scorers. The Thunder require you to be a plus-defender if you want to see the floor constantly. He does that.
4. Malik Monk
Let’s sandwich these recommendations with another rich addition. Monk will have a market. He’s established himself as a dynamic scorer on the Kings over the years. He’s averaged 12.5 points on 44.2% shooting and 2.6 assists. He’s shot 42.4% from 3 on 4.8 attempts. His addition would depend on how badly the Thunder think they need another go-to scorer.
No doubt, Monk can go off on any night. He’s your textbook Sixth Man archetype who can get hot fast. The only downside is that the one-on-one defense isn’t on par with the rest of OKC’s roster. And that you risk stealing away possessions from the rest of your depth. There’s no doubt that he’d be the most exciting player to add from this group, but there are some items they’d need to check off the to-do list to ensure it’d make sense.