Former Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler said this week on the “To The Baha” podcast that he was on the verge of joining the Thunder early in his career, only for a failed physical to halt the move. Instead, Oklahoma City pivoted to Kendrick Perkins as the franchise sought to fortify its young core around Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.

“They tried to trade me off my third year, they went to Oklahoma City, and the doctor there flagged my physical and rescinded the trade,” Chandler said. “I had to go back to New Orleans to finish the year.”

The deal was scuttled over a lingering big-toe injury that had sidelined Chandler the season prior and kept him out of Team USA duty. The Thunder’s medical staff deemed the risk too high, wary of how long he could hold up as a long-term anchor in the middle.

Chandler went on to prove his durability, carving out a career that included a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, an NBA title with Dallas in 2011, an All-Star selection and an All-NBA nod.

Looking back, Chandler believes his style would have meshed seamlessly with Oklahoma City’s emerging stars.

“That’s a different dynasty,” Chandler said. “No disrespect to (Kendrick) Perkins, but our games matched better. Not only that but they was my young boys. Russ from LA, James from LA. It’s different.”

He added that his athleticism and ability to run the floor could have amplified the Thunder’s pace.

“If I got there on top of that, our styles match. Athletically, I can keep up with them. I’m actually going to push the pace for them,” Chandler said. “I honestly think we get two or three championships, two minimum. Even young Serge was there. You had Serge playing the power forward, I’m playing the five. Two athletically bigs. We would’ve been a problem.”

Instead, Perkins became the centerpiece of Oklahoma City’s trade deadline move in 2011. The Thunder went on to reach the 2012 NBA Finals, losing to Miami, and never managed to capture a championship with the Durant-Westbrook-Harden trio intact.

For Thunder fans, the thought of Chandler manning the middle remains a tantalizing alternative history. The organization passed on a player who became one of the NBA’s most reliable defensive anchors, a decision that Chandler himself still wonders could have changed the league’s championship landscape.