As the Oklahoma City Thunder look to evaluate their future, it wasn't hard to find Josh Giddey trade news online.
The former lottery pick was played off the field against the Dallas Mavericks, and coach Marc Daigneault even shuffled the starting lineup and sent him to the bench for the first time in his career.
The move appeared to be successful at first, but it also paved the way for a bigger question about his fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The team has enough assets to trade for a star, and the Thunder's offseason plans could also include going after some of the top free agents available. With that in mind, let's make a case for the team to move on from the Australian Guard.
Why should the Thunder trade Giddey now
For starters, the fact that Jedi got the benefit of the doubt after everything that happened earlier in the season was, for lack of a better word, bizarre by NBA standards.
But off-field rumors aside, his production has been noticeably less impressive this season.
He has shown the ability to fill up the stat sheet, and although he is not a scorer, he can hit threes every now and then and is a good free throw shooter and finisher.
However, he will also be eligible for an extension this summer, and the Thunder could be wary about offering him a huge bag.
He will become a restricted free agent, and the team may allow him to gauge the free-agent market before matching any offer that might come his way.
They could also use Giddey's contract as part of a larger move to make a sign-and-trade and acquire a player that better fits their needs.
The Thunder need size
The OKC Thunder have built their roster very patiently, and Sam Presti deserves a lot of credit for being perhaps the best general manager in the entire league. However, their series against the Dallas Mavericks exposed their lack of size.
Of course, they could use some of their myriad picks to acquire one in the draft or trade one, as there won't be many notable big men entering free agency this summer.
Maybe they can continue to pile on assets by working out a deal to send Guede to the Phoenix Suns — who desperately need a point guard — to acquire Jusuf Nurkic and some draft capital, even if it's to demote him to the second unit or move Chet Hommelgren away. To the four.
Guede isn't what's going to stand in the way of the Thunder winning a championship, and he takes on some pressure and playmaking duties from Gilgeous-Alexander, but it's not easy to have two non-shooters in the backcourt at today's pace-and-space NBA.
The Thunder seemed to have it figured out, and were even the most efficient three-point shooting team in the league this season, but things got more difficult once teams started taking that away from them.
Chet is a great rim protector with a bright future in the league, but he's not fat or bruised. They need a Jonas Valanciunas, Steven Adams, and Jalen Duren-type guy.
Perhaps they could target Jarrett Allen, who could be a trade candidate, or compete with Nick Claxton or Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.
Whatever the case may be, the fact of the matter is that if Jedi isn't willing to embrace a role coming off the bench or if the Thunder are forced to overpay for his services, they'll be better off just moving on from him.
