Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder tried to boost their championship hopes by acquiring Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline. At the time, it looked like a cunning move, as a young Thunder squad appeared to need some veteran guidance, and the front office only had to give up three non-rotation players and a couple of second-round picks.
Unfortunately, the result wasn't what Oklahoma City had hoped for. Hayward couldn't make his mark for the upstart team. The Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the conference semifinals, with the now-retired forward barely seeing action despite supposedly being healthy during the playoffs.
After the season, a minor bickering between him and Thunder lead executive Sam Presti took place. Hayward expressed disappointment and frustration with how he was used in OKC, while Presti offered a tongue-in-cheek statement about the failed trade, acknowledging that he "missed on that."
Thunder have likely made a realization from their swap with Hornets
A year later, the Thunder have found a way to be even better than they were during the 2023-24 campaign. From logging 57 regular-season wins, they tacked on 11 more. And they are three victories away from reaching the Finals after a resounding Game 1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
What changed for Oklahoma City, though? The core group of players is largely the same, although it brought in Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and Alex Caruso via trade in the 2024 offseason. Those moves have paid a lot of dividends, particularly on defense.
Another possible reason for the team's success is that it avoided introducing a disruption in the middle of the campaign. Of course, such a move has sometimes worked. For example, the Mavs' deal with Charlotte, which landed them P.J. Washington last year, helped them advance to the 2024 Finals.
However, the Thunder already having incredible depth has meant that they have no more need for a Hayward-like addition. Several of their players, including their youngsters, have proven trustworthy and have stepped up so far in this year's playoffs.
Still, it's not like Charlotte fleeced the Thunder. It received Tre Mann out of the trade, and while that should be enough reason to believe that the Hornets got the better end of the stick, it's worth noting that Mann's injury and possible hefty extension this offseason are not OKC's problems anymore. The other players Buzz City acquired in the deal were Vasilije Micic, who had a negative impact on the franchise for a while, and Davis Bertans, who has been out of the NBA since the 2024 offseason.
It remains to be seen if the Thunder will end up hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June. Regardless of the outcome, the Hornets should be taking notes on what the championship favorite has done right on its way to the top of the league.