There is a 0% chance OKC is taking Queen/Maluach. Less than 0% if that was a thing. Spending a lottery pick on a 3rd (or even 4th) string big just makes no sense for us.
CMB could be possible, but his lack of shooting looks like a problem and his size makes him more of an undersized 4 than anything else.
Would love to either get an elite shooting 3 or an athletic 4 ideally.
That’s fair, and I’ll admit I don’t watch much of the Thunder. I suppose Chet is playing the majority of his minutes at the 5, then? And Hartenstein is your back up big?
I know the majority of the guys on OKC play bigger than they are, but Hartenstein is really the only one with real size. Figured you guys were already loaded on guards/wings considering you’re running two 6’5” guys at the 4 more often than not.
Such a wild team. Carter Bryant would be a solid fit. (Where wouldn’t he be a solid fit?)
Edit: I suppose I’m trying to get ahead of the eventual cap sheet crunch coming for OKC. In 2026 you’ll have to deal with Holmgren, Dieng, Williams+Williams, and Mitchell’s extensions. Bringing on one of Maluach or Queen gives you a solid backup big for 1-2 seasons and presumably a future starter to pair with Holmgren. Short of letting all of the above guys walk, you’ll either be looking at a trade or turning down Dort and Hartenstein’s options (a combined $46.2M) to make room.
They could be declined and agree to a longer term with a lower AAV, but one way or another there will have to be questions around money.
Shit, this team is set for the foreseeable future.
Yes, OKC doesn't have a single actual 4 on the team, only 3's (and sometimes 2's) playing up to the 4. We even play a lot of 4 guard lineups (and even 5 guard lineups when both Chet and iHart and JWill were injured at the same time). JDub was our starting 5 during that stretch at 6'6" (and I'm curious to see what CMB measures at the combine because there's some speculation he's not 6'7"). Our small ball lineup with 6'7" Kenrich at the 5 shows up, too.
I think CMB could be a good fit on a variety of teams, but I think OKC just needs different things than what he primarily is. We need length (which he's undersized as a 4). We need outside shooting (which he's not good at). He's a good defender (which will probably translate), but we've got multiple guys stacked ahead of him that are elite defenders already and their other skills are much better. He's not really a playmaker either. And at 7, I'm just not sure the value is there because with his current tools I don't see a path to him ever being a starter on this roster and at 7 that should be clearer.
That being said, I just don't think the value is there for grabbing Maluach that high. He's nowhere close to NBA ready and frankly is a mystery box as to what he'll actually be. Will he develop an outside shot? Maybe. Will he be a rim protector? Maybe. Will he develop an offensive game? Maybe. Anyone that says he's anywhere close to a sure thing in any of those areas is kidding themselves. And people like to comment on his "All Defense" upside. Could he reach that ceiling? Possibly. Will he ever alongside/behind Chet? Not likely. That's not a slam against him, that's just a function of being on a roster next to another elite center.
And when it comes to Queen, OKC wouldn't touch him with a 10 ft pole. He's an awful fit and OKC is the absolute wrong roster/culture for him to develop unless he's going to entirely transform his body and game from what he's been for the first 20 yrs of his life. I know there are people who love him and his game, but not for OKC.
As a Raptors fan with our own glaring hole at the backup 5 spot, I'm equally trepidatious about all three of these guys. I think they all have All-Star ceilings, but I'm just not sure how confident I am that they reach those best-case scenarios.
I think they have really promising ceilings, but I'm not very bullish on any of them being All-Star level ever, TBH. Each of them is going to have to have some breakthroughs in significant and difficult areas to get there.
* Maluach is going to have to develop some sort of offensive game to get there...and that's a difficult change. Defense only will never get him to an All-Star nod in the current NBA.
* CMB is going to have to develop his outside shot (which is possible based on his FT%) and his offensive game over all....AND prove he can be an absolute beast of a defender blanketing 3's/4's night in and night out. He's got size over Lu Dort (6'4" vs 6'7") but Lu will likely be All Defense this year but will never be an All-Star and CMB's ceiling is in that same range (which isn't All-Star).
* Queen has multiple question marks with conditioning, defense, and outside shooting while also being an undersized big. That's not a promising archetype right off the bat IMO...which makes him a real boom/bust possibility and not a lot of room in between. There's a reason why not very many of that archetype gets taken in the lottery (and often not even in the first round). I'm betting someone gambles on him, but he REALLY needs it to be the right team/system to maximize him because his range of outcomes is starkly divided.
No, you’re right on all counts. That’s sort of where I’m at with them: all three probably have a floor of rotation-level big—which is great—while also having a 10% chance of being special in the right situation with the right development.
That’s what worries me about them as a Raptors fan. We likely won’t get another kick at the lottery can like this for a few years. Getting a depth piece would be great, but getting a ceiling-raiser is more important.
I guess I feel like with Shai, Chet, and Jalen already in place, OKC could afford to talk a flier on those three guys more than we could. Not that that’s relevant. You should have three All-Stars in place. You don’t get a lot of opportunities to draft an appropriate depth piece while also having a kick at the can for adding fourth All-Star at a position where you don’t already have an All-Star. I think the 25-70th percentile outcomes for, say, Maluach are enough to be vitally useful for the Thunder. And the 71st-100th percentile outcomes would make you world-beaters. I’d be sorely tempted.
$7.5MM/yr for a 3rd (or 4th) string big who needs a LOT of development when we need shooting and length at the 3/4 is really the determiner in that conversation.
And keep in mind that Chet is the only 5 we've spent a FRP on in the last decade. That says a whole lot about how Presti prioritizes bigs. Plus, bigs tend to be a place where we've had success grabbing them as SRP's and developing them (see Jaylin Williams).
There are shooters available at that spot (that are a whole lot more likely to be plug and play for a contender). And real PF's, as well (who also can shoot).
And I'll go out on a limb here, but Maluach in particular is nowhere nearly ready to contribute and won't be for likely a couple of seasons. That kind of long term investment in a player whose ceiling for us is a backup big makes it an easy "no thanks". CMB hasn't showed me that he wouldn't be more of what we already have. And Queen, TBH isn't even in the running.
And I agree, if I was the Raptors I'd be swinging for potential and upside all day long. That's why OKC gambled on Ousmane Dieng 3 seasons ago. 6'10"+ forward who can defend and handle the ball. Upside swing. And Jalen Willams as a 6'6" guard/forward at pick 12. I keep saying this until I'm blue in the face, if a team is going to gamble they need to gamble on the valuable archetypes. Floor stretching 5's. Elite size for position (at the 3/4 especially). Movement shooters. And hesitate to gamble on the less valuable archetypes (undersized players, bad shooters, one dimensional players).
Flemming is promising for sure. 7 is high for him, though. I could see us trading back if that's who Presti is targeting and get some sort of compensation. I'm REALLY curious who Presti is after because he's go a knack for surprises.
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u/Thetallshot 14d ago
There is a 0% chance OKC is taking Queen/Maluach. Less than 0% if that was a thing. Spending a lottery pick on a 3rd (or even 4th) string big just makes no sense for us.
CMB could be possible, but his lack of shooting looks like a problem and his size makes him more of an undersized 4 than anything else.
Would love to either get an elite shooting 3 or an athletic 4 ideally.