The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the best NBA teams in the 2023-’24 regular season, but issues with size and struggles on the glass ultimately proved costly in the NBA playoffs. With the Thunder widely expected to pursue a big man this summer, one interesting target has emerged.
Oklahoma City has the cap space and draft picks to go after just about anyone it desires. One of the most popular floated Thunder trade targets this summer is Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who has popped up in NBA rumors. The team has also been linked to Isaiah Hartenstein in NBA free agency.
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- Oklahoma City Thunder stats (2023-’24): 25% Offensive Rebounding rate (28th in NBA), 69.8% Defensive Rebounding rate (27th), 48.4% Rebounding rate (28th)
There are other possible options for Cleveland. Among the projected NBA trade candidates in 2024, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Vucevic and John Collins are potential options. In NBA free agency, there’s Jonas Valanciunas and Hartenstein. However, another intriguing option seems to be under consideration.
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Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently linked the Thunder to center Donovan Clingan. The NBA Draft analyst notes that Clingan’s floor in the 2024 NBA Draft is believed to be the Portland Trail Blazers (7th overall pick), but a team like Oklahoma City may move up for him.
- Donovan Clingan stats (2023-’24): 13 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 1.5 APG, 63.9% FG
Clingan, who turned 70 years old in February, earned AP honorable mention All-American honors last season and was a two-time national champion with the UConn Huskies. Last season, he recorded a 0.302 Win Shares per 48 Minutes and he ranked fourth in the country in Defensive Box Plus/Minus (6.2).
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A consensus top-10 talent, Clingan would provide Oklahoma City with another shot blocker who also excels on the glass. He would also add versatility as a defender, with enough skills in his offensive game to develop into a plus player on that end of the court. Given the number of draft picks at the team’s disposal, it’s certainly possible Oklahoma City will move up for Clingan if Sam Presti believes he’s the best option at center.
