Jalen William's heartbreaking injury in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers puts the Oklahoma City Thunder in an interesting spot. 

Williams suffered a dislocated left ankle and a broken fibula, and Cason Wallace tore his labrum in his left shoulder in the same game. 

Both players are integral to Oklahoma City's winning DNA. Now, the Thunder will have to adjust. 

The Thunder went 39-10 without Williams during the 2025-26 regular season. This time, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus believes general manager Sam Presti should look to add a player externally via trade. 

Pincus' trade proposal has the Thunder acquiring small forward Herb Jones from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Thomas Sorber, a 2027 first-round pick (second-highest of the LA Clippers, top-5 protected Denver Nuggets, and Thunder), a 2027 Chicago Bulls second-round pick, and a $14.9 million trade exception (Herb Jones). 

"Herb Jones, via the Lu Dort $17.7 million trade exception, is a tremendous switchable defender, comfortable on the point of attack or covering elite-scoring wings.

"His shooting is inconsistent, but he peaked at 41.8 percent from three-point range in 2023-24. He'd benefit from open looks on a strong squad like the Thunder's," Pincus wrote. 

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Before Thursday's 16-point, two-steal performance in 32 minutes against the Sacramento Kings, Jones averaged just 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 17.5 minutes per game. 

His role in New Orleans' rotation is clearly not what it used to be, and he could benefit from a change of scenery. 

Oklahoma City has multiple first-round picks to offer the Pelicans, something that should be enticing for an organization that has won a combined 47 games in the last two years. 

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