Could Josh Giddey be on the move? OKC guard reportedly attracts rivals' attention before NBA trade deadline 

Josh Giddey and the OKC Thunder continue to impress early in the season and are second in the West with 25 wins and 11 losses. The top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves are just half a game ahead with a 26-11 record. Following their 128-120 road win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Thunder have won two in a row and seven of their last 10 games.

The franchise looks ready for a deep playoff run with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having an MVP-caliber season and Chet Holmgren being frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.

With the NBA Trade Deadline fast approaching (February 8), OKC could decide to make moves to bolster its roster, as they hold both the players and draft picks for a major move.

With Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren untouchable, a player that could be on the move is Josh Giddey. The Aussie guard has been playing consistently on both ends and appears to have attracted the interest of rival teams.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports spoke on SiriusXM NBA Radio:

"Every rival executive I have spoken to, they are 100 per cent prepared for the possibility for Oklahoma City to do so. There are too many people expecting the Thunder to sniff around. With all of their draft picks, there is such a great opportunity for them to add someone right now."

Josh Giddey has appeared in 35 of the Thunder's first 36 games with averages of 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, on 37.2 percent from beyond the arc. He is under contract with OKC through the end of the 2024-25 season and is expected to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

Josh Giddey and OKC Thunder are off to franchise's best start since 2016

The OKC Thunder have emerged as a legit title contender approaching the end of the first half of the regular season. With 25 wins and 11 losses, they have made their best start to a season since 2016.

2016 was the final year that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant played for the Thunder. The franchise reached the Western Conference Finals that season and Durant left in the summer to join the Golden State Warriors.

"What has put us in this position is that we have improved continuously," OKC coach Mark Daigneault said Wednesday, per NBA.com. "We understand it is not perfect andwe learn from the good, the bad. We just rinse and repeat this 82 times."

Meanwhile, Daigneault had high praise for Josh Giddey and how consistent he has been so far, avoiding ups and downs.

"He has got some swagger right now. This is a good example of these guys, there will be a lot of ups and downs for every single player."

Giddey and the OKC Thunder will look to win their third straight and move to the top of the West when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday to complete their back-to-back set. Portland has won just 10 of its first 36 games and the Thunder will fancy their chances of winning here.