The New York Knicks are in the market for another big man this trade season, and, per recent rumblings, are eying New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi as a possible option.
Already, it was believed that pursuing the sophomore would be rather bumpy, as they are one of seven teams that have shown interest in the 2024 first-round pick.
However, if Brian Windhorst's recent report is true, a chase for Missi, or any other pivot for that matter, could become even more challenging for Leon Rose and company to come away successful from.
During a recent episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast, the NBA insider revealed that he's "heard the Oklahoma City Thunder's name in some trade chatter" as of late, and that they're "potentially looking at centers" to bolster their frontcourt rotation.
The reigning champions possess one of the greatest collections of draft capital the league has ever seen, with north of 30 total picks coming their way through the early stages of the 2030s.
The current asking price for Missi is believed to be somewhere in the ballpark of a future first-round pick, though many inquiring clubs, the Knicks included, are presumably hoping to find this price drop to a couple of seconds as we inch closer to the February 5 trade deadline.
The Thunder's interest in adding another big man this year could squash these hopes rather easily.
Thunder's interest in big men could thwart trade plans for Knicks
Oklahoma City's collection of assets is so elite that they could rather easily pull off an in-season trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo without even breaking a sweat.
With this in mind, it should go without saying that they could effortlessly outbid everyone for someone of Missi's ilk.
Like the Knicks, the Thunder aren't necessarily looking for a game-changing trade at this year's deadline. A low-risk move for a low-cost frontcourt talent seems to be their aim.
The fact that these two clubs, with polar-opposite assets at their disposal, are reported to be looking for the same thing at this year's deadline is far from an ideal situation for New York to be in.
Now, though there's been no official word on whether the Thunder are specifically interested in the Pelicans big man, considering he's one of the most buzzed about pivots within the trade rumor mill as of late, it's a situation well worth monitoring.
Being involved in any kind of bidding war with Oklahoma City will only lead to a painful outcome for the Knicks, one where their best offer falls well short in comparison.