Cason Wallace would comfortably go No. 5 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft with what we know about him today. Some food for thought when including him in trade packages.
Cason Wallace is the best asset in this entire deal by a mile.
It seems like every opposing fanbase wants Wallace, yet doesn’t realize he’s been a starting caliber player on a championship contender for two straight seasons
NBA Most 30+ PTS Games this Season with Under 10 FT Attempts:
25 — Donovan Mitchell
23 — Jaylen Brown
22 — Kevin Durant
22 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
18 — Jalen Brunson
18 — Tyrese Maxey
17 — Jamal Murray
17 — Anthony Edwards
88% chance Harden stays in Cleveland with Mitchell.
I think I’m at a point where Aday Mara is No. 5 on my board, but someone closer to 9-12 is going to luck into him given the guard conglomerate.
He’s so good.
I hope people understand that any player the Thunder might trade away for financial flexibility this summer (ex: Joe, Wiggins, Dort) is a POSITIVE asset and will result in OKC getting back picks/value.
The Thunder will not be salary dumping these guys or attaching picks to get off their contracts. They’re all top-end rotation players (if not starters) on most teams.
This probably isn’t a popular opinion, but I don’t think there’s a solution to the Victor Wembanyama problem.
There’s not a single player in this league who can slow him down to the point where he isn’t insanely impactful.
So I've tried biting my tongue on this for a bit...
How does moving off of Chet Holmgren for Cameron Boozer solve the Victor Wembanyama problem?
This may help my evaluation of Cam.
@lance_972 No way to dispute or argue that. His entire career (in OKC at least) will come down to whether or not he can figure *that* matchup out.
He’s incredible against the other 28 teams.
I’m so fascinated to see how the next 365 days go from a narrative standpoint.
If the Spurs win a title, they’ll no longer be the young and fun team. Next season they’ll likely dominate most teams again. Winners never remain loved.
Will there be two villains in the Western Conference this time next year?
I think it’s important to remember the circumstances of this series, because that’s how Sam Presti will view it.
The Thunder didn’t have Jalen Williams or Ajay Mitchell, who are the 2nd and 3rd best creators and scorers on this roster.
Oklahoma City also had an awful series from Chet Holmgren.
And was still *that* close to winning the series and being the favorite in the NBA Finals.
Don’t expect some superstar trade shakeup. Plenty of work on the margins can be made.
There will of course be seasons in which injuries hit the Spurs. It happens to every team (see OKC).
But the Thunder will absolutely need to make every roster decision moving forward with at least some level of thought around how it impacts a direct matchup with San Antonio.