Category Archives: Trade Talk

Trade talk involving the Thunder.

Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs preview (Game 52 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (40-11, 1st in the West) @ San Antonio Spurs (33-16, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Wednesday, 04 February 2026 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TX
  • TV: ESPN / FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: SAS: 116.2 (11th) / OKC: 118.2 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating: SAS: 111.2 (3rd) / OKC: 105.6 (1st)
  • Net Rating: SAS: 5.0 (6th) / OKC: 12.6 (1st)
  • Current Streaks: SAS: 3-3 in their last 6 games (alternating W’s and L’s) / OKC: 3-3 in their last 6 games, but have won 2 in a row

The Tip-Off

You know, I used to get pissed off when teams used to sit their stars (or even starters) for nationally televised games. Like, why the hell would I tune in to watch your 12th guy off the bench get starter minutes. But now, I kind of get it. Teams that have deep playoff runs don’t have the same restful offseason as those that don’t make the playoffs or exit early. The Thunder played two more months of basketball than most teams in the Association. And they came into this season with the idea that they would play their same brand of basketball. It worked for the first two months of the season. But their brand of basketball and their insistence to win began to take it’s toll on them. And so, the Thunder are now in a position to try and find respites of rest in the schedule whenever possible, while having it be as legit as possible. Those injuries start to pile on and the best recipe is to find rest. And so now, I get it.

This is the fifth and final meeting of the regular season between these two teams. San Antonio won the first three meetings of the season in December that sent Thunder fandom into a deep, dark depression. The Thunder returned the favor in January, winning 119-98.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC +8.5
  • O/U: 217.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Alex Caruso – OUT (adductor)
  • Ousmane Dieng – OUT (Not With Team)
  • Lu Dort – OUT (knee)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (abdominal strain)
  • Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (eye)
  • Chet Holmgren – OUT (back)
  • Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

SAS

  • Stephon Castle – Questionable (thigh)
  • Dylan Harper – Questionable (ankle)
  • Kelly Olynyk – Questionable (foot)
  • Jeremy Sochan – OUT (quad)
  • Lindy Waters III – OUT (knee)

Three Big Things

  1. Injury Bug – While OKC has been dealing with injuries the entire season, the injury bug finally hit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will miss the next five games before the All-Star break and will also miss the All-Star game with an abdominal strain. The defending MVP has carried a heavy load this season, leading the Thunder to the best record in the league, while having to navigate consistent roster changes and injuries on a night to night basis. While it stinks to not have SGA out there, it is a good opportunity to get 2+ weeks of rest while only missing 5 games.
  2. Good Opportunity – Here I thought the Orlando game was going to be the sacrificial game. Turns out, it’s the Spurs game. I get it. Guys need rest, SGA is injured, and you’ve already played the Spurs four times this season. There’s not much to glean from another battle against a potential 2nd or 3rd round playoff opponent. But it is a good opportunity for guys like Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins to expand their games and try new things. Remember when J-Will got all his triple-doubles last season late in the season when most of the starters were resting. Remember when it was almost guaranteed that Wiggins would get 25+ points when the starters sat late last season. Maybe this can be the Chris Youngblood “5 3-pointers made” game. Maybe Brooks Barnhizer will actually take an outside shot. Lots of opportunity for development.
  3. Welcome, Jared McCain – The Thunder didn’t wait until Thursday to strike on a trade. They made a couple moves that netted them Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a 2026 Houston first round pick and three future second round picks. In a lateral move, Ousmane Dieng and a 2029 2nd round pick were moved to Charlotte in exchange for Mason Plumlee, who was subsequently waived to create a roster spot for McCain. Dieng was then moved from Charlotte to Chicago in a separate trade. The idea of Dieng was always more hopeful than the actual production. Every time it seemed like Dieng was starting to carve out a role, an injury usually happened. By the time Dieng looked up, the team was on it’s way to contention and the developmental train had transformed into a hard-charging championship-contending train. But, hey, he got a championship ring out of it and was a Finals MVP for a G-League championship.

Orlando Magic vs. Thunder preview (Game 51 of 82)

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  • Orlando Magic (25-23, 8th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-11, 1st in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 03 February 2026 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: ORL: 113.9 (16th) / OKC: 117.9 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating: ORL: 114.3 (15th) / OKC: 105.8 (1st)
  • Net Rating: ORL: -0.4 (17th) / OKC: 12.1 (1st)
  • Current Streaks: ORL: 2-5 in their last 7 games / OKC: 2-3 in their last 5 games

The Set-Up

The days prior to the trade deadline are always filled with equal parts angst, curiosity, and hope. The Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves in a position where they have multiple options. Their most tradeable piece is Ousmane Dieng and his $6.7 million dollar expiring deal. While Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Kenrich Williams also have possible expiring contracts, their importance to this team makes trading them in-season kind of difficult. But this could also be the Thunder’s last opportunity to acquire anything of value before any big deal would need to possibly involve one of the core three. Buckle up…we have two games and a trade deadline in the next three days. Could be fun…or nerve-wracking…or quizzical…or boring.

This is the first of two meetings this season between the Thunder and Magic. Oklahoma City has won that last 4 meetings against Orlando dating back to the 2023-24 season.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -7
  • O/U: 219.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Alex Caruso – Questionable (adductor strain)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Questionable (finger)
  • Isaiah Hartenstein – Questionable (calf)
  • Chet Holmgren – Questionable (back)
  • Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)
  • Jaylin Williams – Questionable (shoulder)

ORL

  • Colin Castleton – OUT (thumb)
  • Franz Wagner – OUT (ankle)

Three Big Things

  1. Orlando’s lack of shooting – While the Desmond Bane trade went a long way to provide Orlando with a reliable three-point threat, the Magic, as a collective, still lack consistent outside shooting. They rank 25th in 3-point attempts and 3-point makes and rank 27th in 3-point percentage at 34.3%. In addition, they are also bottom 10 in the same categories for total FG’s made, attempted, and percentage. This plays into the Thunder’s defensive ethos of protecting the paint and running out to shooters on the perimeter.
  2. Sacrificial Game – This may be a sacrificial game for the Thunder. It’s the first night of a home/road back to back. The players who have played most of the season are likely tired and suffering from general soreness (shoutout Jimmy Butler). And the players who have come back from injury recently, such as Isaiah Hartenstein, likely can only play in one of the two back to back games. With that said, the Thunder are 2-0 in games in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits out this season.
  3. Win the turnover battle – Both OKC and Orlando do a good job of, not only protecting the ball (#2 and #7, respectively), but also, getting back on defense when they turn the ball over (OKC is 2nd and ORL is 4th in Opponent Points off Turnovers). Whoever wins the turnover battle, likely has an advantage in how this game goes.

 

 

Gordon Hayward: The punch the Thunder needed

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All-Star Weekend is in the rear view. And all in all, it was a fun weekend for Thunder fans.

Cason Wallace helped bring Team Pau back from its early deficit to Team Detlef, and was then scapegoated for not being able to carry a team of top 3 picks back from the early hole it dug itself.

Chet Holmgren contributed to Team Jalen’s ultimate victory in a variety of ways. Layups, blocks, windmills. Just not lobs. Maybe just catch those for now, Chettar Bob.

Jalen Williams showed he is a 2-way demon, knocking down middies, 3-balls, spreading the ball around, being an on-ball pest, and off-ball menace. All in route to knocking down the game winning 3-pointer, showing the world what β€œDub Time” is. Dub, indeed.

Then of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show in his first (hopefully of many) starts in the All-Star game. The antithesis of his game was on full display. Instead of acrobatic finishes through contact and an assault of mid-range jumpers, it was an uncharacteristically scorching hot 7/10 shooting from the 3 point line and an array of high flying dunks, including a self alley-oop off the glass… IN TRAFFIC!

Yes, All-Star Weekend couldn’t have gone better for Thunder fans, sans Isaiah Joe being in the 3-point contest. And the weekend’s series of events is enough to get the fans excited for the return from All-Star break on Thursday against our rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. But through the excitement of the break, people have forgotten that the Thunder may or may not have added the piece that takes this team from young and fun overachievers, to bonafide contenders in the Western Conference.

Last week, the Thunder…

SIGNED BISMACK BIYOMBO!

That’s right! We are getting Bizzy with it! With our big Biyombro, we will be standing on Bizness for 48 minutes. *angry emoji with smoke coming out of nose*

As excited as I am for Biyombo, because of his ability to fill a role and his ability to raise the overall vibes for any locker room, it’s another move that this article is based around.

The trade that sent Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans to Charlotte in exchange for none other than Gordon Hayward.

This trade is already a sore subject for Thunder fans. Tre had become a fan favorite, from his highlight reel dunks and stepback, to his fun and vibey personality on the bench and online. There were many (yours, truly included) that were sad to see him go. He has done well in his opportunities with the Hornets since then, making it hurt just a little more.

Micic, while he hasn’t been as consistent, has flashed many moments that have Thunder fans envying the former Euroleague MVP for the playoff run. And then you have Bertans, who has been fine, I guess.

On the Thunder side, we haven’t as much seen Hayward in a Thunder jersey. But I’ve been watching some film on him from this season. Not as a Celtic or during the Obama administration in Utah. No, from the 2023-24 NBA season, just to clear things up. While the name isn’t as big, flashy, or coveted as some of the other names around the league, his tape tells me Hayward is going to fit this team seamlessly.

Playmaker:

Not including his rookie year, Gordo (gotta find a nickname for this guy, let me live) hasn’t averaged less than 3 assists per game. This season, before he got hurt, he was averaging 4.6 assists per game. Which would be 2nd highest in his career (and .1 more than Josh Giddey has…).

There’s not much flashy about Gorgon’s passing. He doesn’t really bring the ball up the court and he doesn’t try to pretend to be Steve Nash. While he doesn’t always make jaw dropping, high level reads, he is constantly moving the ball and often times creating scoring opportunities for his teammates as the secondary, or even, tertiary creator.

While he isn’t necessarily a maestro with the basketball, Hayward can more than hold his own as a playmaker.

He gets it done in a variety of ways. Off the drive, off the catch, touch passes, in transition, dump offs, entry passes, the whole shebang.

Despite what the video above would lead you to believe, Hayward’s passes don’t lead to buckets 100% of the time, I’m sorry to deceive you.

But what’s important, and why he fits with the Thunder in this regard is, the ball doesn’t stick with him. There is no record scratch. He isn’t a ball stopper. He simply gets the ball, he drives it, he shoots it, or he quickly makes a pass.

Based on the tape above he’s going to create a lot of easy looks for Chet, Dub, Ous, Wiggs, and Boom (Jaylin Williams for those uninitiated). But he’s also going to be able to put Shai, Giddey, and Dub in scoring, and playmaking scenarios just with his willingness and participation of moving the ball around.

Shut up and drive:

When you watch a guy like Shai or Jalen Williams, you always hear the commentators talk about how relentless they are with their straight line drives to the basket. Shai has led the league in total drives going on 4 seasons, and even in his first season with the team, he still ranked 10th in the league. Dub, has a bit more variety to his game with the willingness to shoot a higher volume from deep, but particularly in late game situations, the gearshift is on D for him as well.

If you watch Gordon Bombay (yeah, that one felt wrong) you can tell he’s cut from that same cloth. While he can’t even smell the exhaust from Shai’s tailpipe at 23.9 drives per game, he is not far behind from Dub (12.6) with 10.8 drives per game.

While he adds some variety to his game in post work, catch and shoot, etc., a lot of his playmaking, as evidenced by the video in the playmaking section, is dependent of his drives.

Even at age 33, Hayward is a strong driver to the basket.

It’s no wonder he is constantly driving, as the Warden (I saw it on Twitter/X, I’m not married to it) is shooting an impressive 69.3% at the rim this year. To put that into perspective, Shai is shooting 66.5%. Dub is shooting 66.3%. Chet is shooting 71.7%. And the finishing god squad of Cason, Ous, and Joe are shooting 72.8, 73.9, 76.5 respectively. And since you keep bugging me, Giddey is shooting 55.2%.

Cut to the chase:

Wiggs made his early career off of knowing how to cut to the basket. OKC has plenty other really good cutters. Dub, Cason, Kenny, and even Giddey have shown some juice as cutters this year.

He’s no Edward Scissorshands, but my Hayward son (you see it) is a stealthy good cutter, and sneaky effective at it. Snake eyes (yeah this is bad, just having fun with the last sentence) averages 1.47 points per possession, while shooting 75%, on cuts but only at a frequency of 4.5%. For perspective, Shai is averaging 1.67 PPP on 80.8% shooting on 2% frequency. The aforementioned Aaron Wiggins is shockingly averaging only 1.3 PPP on 64.7% shooting, but on a team leading 15.6% frequency.

Hayward is literally playing Fruit Ninja with NBA defenses.

LaMelo Ball is a phenomenal playmaker. But he is one man. The Thunder’s entire roster has some playmaking juice. Pair that with his basketball IQ and understanding of space, and you have a smart and opportune cutter to add to the death by 1000 basket cuts.

There are a lot of things to like about Hayward. His shooting, while percentages are a tad down at 36.1%, he is shooting 40.8% on catch and shoot 3’s, 41.2% from the corners, and 42.4% on open 3-point jumpers.

He is averaging almost 5 rebounds per game, which will help a bit with that side of things. As well as averaging 1.1 steals per game. With guys like Dort and Dub at the point of attack and Chet as the back line, Hayward should be able to generate a number of steals for this already stingy defense.

Overall, the fit is very nice. And the price for the trade, with the flexibility to possibly re-sign him moving forward, makes the deal a no brainer.

Gordon Hayward is the type of player that can add one more punch to the Thunder’s push to the finals.

And if all I’ve said above comes to fruition, that punch may just end up being a Haymaker.

Hmmm, Haymaker.

I LIKE IT.

Special shoutout to @derthun_ and @homahoops for showing me the ways of the force and video editing. Be sure to follow them for great Thunder content. As well as me @ThunderChats, and my podcast @OKCTopicThunder. Thunder up.

Why It Makes Sense For The Thunder To Trade For Westbrook (With A Caveat, Of Course)

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If we rewind back to the end of season press conference Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti had, a couple of the prevailing themes came to the forefront. The first being the Thunder would not cut corners in order to get back to where they want to be. Two quotes stuck out to me when referencing this theme. The first being, “We’re running our own race. We’re not watching the clock. We know our time is going to come. We can’t predict when that’s going to be, but we’re up for the challenge here.” And the other being, “We’re closer to being the team we want to be this season than we were last season, but we’re still really far away from ultimately getting to the level we want to be at.”

The other theme was the fact the Thunder will likely wait until after the new CBA is signed during the 2023 offseason before diving into any real roster building outside of the draft. Presti harkened back to previous Thunder teams whose flexibility was basically nullified by the new CBA rules of the time.

But I would say what we can’t have happen is to be mid-stream, which has happened, and a brand new bouquet of rules is introduced that is not advantageous to where you are in your building process. One time, okay; two times, hmm; but not happening three times. So we have to be eyes wide open on what that really means. Like I said, if I was a fan right now I’d shut my ears because this is not interesting, but if you’re trying to run an NBA franchise in 2022 and beyond, in 20 of the 30 cities, you’re going to be tuned into the CBA, revenue sharing and TV deal. Those things really set the cast for how you operate.

If we take Presti at his word, then I don’t think the Thunder will be too interested in free agency and in the trade market this offseason and upcoming season. Instead, I believe this will be the last year where Oklahoma City will truly be in asset acquisition mode. We’ve heard the numbers before: OKC has 17 possible first round picks over the next five drafts, including this year’s draft. Is it possible to have too many first round picks for a period of time? Yes, if you don’t have a plan. But Presti laid out how some of those firsts may be used in the future. During the presser, he talked about the price of obtaining veterans to fill out the roster via trades. Said recent trades cost between one and two firsts for valuable veterans. If that is what the Thunder are going for, why not try to obtain the most valuable assets possible.

Recently, Russell Westbrook, currently of the Los Angeles Lakers, decided to purge some pictures from his Instagram account. One thing that was very noticeable from the purging: the only pictures that remained were those of his regular life and those of him in Thunder gear. All the Lakers, Rockets, and Wizards-related pictures were deleted. While some basketball players have a habit of deleting team-related pictures during the offseason, the fact that Westbrook kept his OKC pictures got people talking.

While it may be nothing, always remember that Presti does a ton of his work behind the scenes. The trade that sent Chris Paul to Phoenix was likely consummated, not in the 2020 offseason, but instead, likely, on January 31st, 2020 when the Thunder played the Suns in Phoenix. It was there where the widely circulated video of Suns GM James Jones telling Presti to follow him as they headed into the tunnel occurred. Between that game and their time in the Bubble in Orlando, I’m sure much, if not all, of the framework for that trade was constructed then. With both the Lakers and Thunder having so much time on their hands, what’s to say Presti and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka haven’t already had some preliminary discussions. And with Presti’s relationship with Westbrook, who’s to say all three parties aren’t keyed into what the next step may be.

This all begs the question: What does a trade for Westbrook look like for the Thunder? Before we jump into specifics, there are some caveats that need to be discussed. First off, the return from the Lakers will definitely need to be in the form of, at least, two future first round picks, both either unprotected or very lightly protected (no more than top-4 protected). Secondly, there likely needs to be an agreement between the Thunder and Westbrook before the trade even occurs on a buy-out amount. Westbrook is due to make $47 million next season. The Thunder do not have the ability to absorb that amount without risking their cap flexibility for future seasons. For a team that is in the middle of a rebuild, that is extremely important. The agreed upon amount needs to be that mid-point between what makes Westbrook happy and what keeps the Thunder’s cap sheet flexible. Westbrook making $47 million is a toxic asset no team wants to touch. But an unrestricted free agent Westbrook with 35-40 million already in his pocket is a prime commodity.

Now on to the trade, which will actually be quite painless once the above caveats are met. If the Lakers are willing to part with the two first round picks, the easiest path to making this work is essentially Derrick Favors and Ty Jerome for Westbrook. A sweetner that may make the Thunder more attractive than say, the Charlotte Hornets, could be adding the rights to Vasilije Micic to the trade.

One question that may arise is how do the Thunder stay out of the luxury tax if this gets done. First off, the Thunder have the ability to keep all 15 of their current players. Of course, in this scenario. Favors and Jerome are no longer with the team. But if we really get down to the true rotation of the roster, it only goes about 10 deep.

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Josh Giddey
  • Tre Mann
  • Aaron Wiggins
  • Lu Dort
  • Aleksej Pokusevski
  • Darius Bazley
  • Mike Muscala
  • Kenrich Williams
  • Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Those 10 players plus the dead money for Kemba Walker and Kyle Singler (still??) comes out to a little over $86 million. Now, let’s look at the Thunder’s pick situation. The Thunder are positioned to pick 4th, 12th, and 30th in the first round. But the lottery won’t be for another 3 weeks. Let’s say that by a miracle of all miracles, the Thunder luck into the 1st, 2nd, and 30th pick. The highest amount to pay for rookies in those positions is a little less than $23 million. Luckily (or unluckily) for OKC, the chances of the dream scenario happening are about 0.16% (shoutout @TylerCarroll12). Let’s say, realistically, the Thunder get #1, #12, and #30. The total cost of those three rookies, salary-wise, is reduced to $17.4 million.

That gets the Thunder up to 13 players under contract at a total of $103.5 million. The Thunder generally like to go into the season with only 14 players. Which means, the 14th roster spot will likely be a battle between Vit Krejci, Isaiah Roby, and whoever the Thunder pick at #34. Luckily none of those players make more than $1.9 million. Let’s say the Thunder bring Roby and Krejci back and two-way the 2nd rounder. That gives them 15 contracted players at a total of $107 million.

The projected salary cap number for next season is $122 million and the luxury tax line is $149 million. If Westbrook takes a clean $40 million buyout, that brings the Thunder’s salaried total to $147 million. While that is close to the line, the Thunder have options to cut salary, if necessary. In addition to those 17 first rounders over the next five drafts, they also have 15 second rounders over the next seven drafts. They could easily send Roby or Krejci to another team with a 2nd attached in the deal.

With all this said, I never once mentioned that Westbrook would stay with this team if traded here. While that idea is an extremely polarizing one within the Thunder fandom, Presti’s vision does not include an aging point guard who is currently championship-chasing. If anything, this is mutually beneficial for all three parties involved. The Thunder get a final haul of assets before they likely start cashing some of them in the next offseason, the Lakers get some salary cap relief and flexibility to keep building around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Westbrook gets something that he’s never had in his career: freedom to choose where he wants to go.

Why Gallinari’s Decision is Huge for OKC

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It seemed like trade talks between Miami and OKC ended just as quickly as they began. The ultimate demise? Gallinari and Miami are just not on the same timeline.

Miami is looking short-term when it comes to contracts. The 2021 summer is stocked with free agents – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard to name a few – and Miami wants to sign one or two of them. This means that flexibility is key and why they gave Iguodala a team option in the second year of his deal.

Gallinari’s camp is looking long-term. He’s injury-prone, which means now is the time to capitalize on a large contract while healthy, and at the age of 31 this will likely be his last chance. He’s also been playing the best basketball of his career the last two seasons, which means he has earned himself north of $20M per year.

Miami’s offer for a team option is basically telling Gallinari’s camp “We want you, but also want to be able to dump your contract if something nicer and shinier comes along”. That’s not exactly an appealing offer for someone in his situation.

So why is this good for OKC? Well it can only mean one thing: Gallinari WANTS to be here.

Of course, he also wants a championship and will go to another team under the right conditions. Gallinari could have very easily taken the Miami offer if he wanted out of OKC. But he didn’t. He’s actually content on staying here. No desperation to leave whatsoever.

If you are a Thunder fan, you should be smiling ear to ear, because this decision is sending a strong message to the league: this team has great chemistry, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

A Live Feed of Pat Riley Ruining My Day

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Things have gone from 0 to 60 in about an hour once Woj dropped this doozy

Why did there have to be an “AND”? Presti is clearly serious. These types of leaks don’t come out if they aren’t in serious conversations.

Iguodala Traded

So Andre Iguodala is officially on the Miami Heat after pouting all season. Right now, we know Winslow is going to Memphis and that Iggy was given a 1+1 contract with a team option.

I personally have some thoughts on Iggy’s situation, but I’ll save those for the podcast (shameless plug go download and subscribe).

I am somehow both excited and scared for what happens next. If Presti is working on a deal for Gallinari, he’s not gonna just take on expiring contracts. There will be some nice assets – Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro come to mind – but for now we wait.

Things Are Escalating

Could extend into Thursday?? What does that mean??? Do I have to stay up all night or will this be finished tomorrow morning?

The wording of this tweet makes me feel it’s basically done and they’re hashing out the details. Woj says they are “working on” a deal, not “in trade discussions”. Those are two very different scenarios in my eyes.

Also if Iguodala already has his deal then does that mean OKC was in this from the start? The way Woj is describing this as an “elaborate three-team deal” makes me think so. There are so many questions, and I am 100% staying up all night now. Thanks Pat Riley for ruining my NIGHT.

This feels like Miami has to do it. You’re getting to excellent wing players so you can win now. If you don’t agree to it, then you are basically saying you don’t believe you can win a championship. If you’re confident, cash in.

Presti is gonna make it happen, I’m sure of it.

I Will Stay Up All Night if Necessary

Woj said trade talks could continue into Thursday, and I will stay up through the night if necessary.

Never in OKC Thunder history has there been a bigger trade at the trade deadline than tonight. Every Woj post is a mini-heart attack. Every minute without a Woj post is anxiety. But I will continue to refresh my Twitter page until this is over. #NotAllHeroesWearCapes

It’s 2AM

I await, patiently. The clock reads a number I haven’t seen at this time of day since my college days (lest, how far we’ve come since then). Woj has not tweeted in about an hour. Surely Presti is asleep right?

No. He stayed awake til 3 in the flippin’ morning. So must I. Gallinari deserves us to be there at his final moment in OKC, whether it be now or much later.

Gallinari Contract Extension

I’ve had four hours of sleep. I just want this to end.

Here’s what I think. If someone says “it’ll all be official today”, that means it’s a done deal and only a matter of time. If that’s true, then Gallinari is traded, but now it boils down to whether Miami will let him walk in FA or if they can convince him to a team option.

This is a tough spot for Gallo’s agent. No one except OKC can resign him to the deal he deserves, but depending on the contracts we get in this deal that may not be the case. That means Gallinari might not enter FA with a very promising market for him, despite his excellent performance this season.

Regardless, I would be fairly surprised if Gallinari accepts a team option. He has deserved much better this season and should have the flexibility he wants moving forward.

How Last Night’s Trade Changes Things in OKC

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Last night Woj and Sham dropped a series of tweets involving a very complicated four-way trade. If you want to know the details, go here.

So what does this mean for OKC? Well, there’s a couple new possibilities that have emerged.

Dennis Got Way More Valuable

If you do the math, that’s now three Minnesota point guards traded this season. Jeff Teague was shipped to Atlanta, while Napier and Bates-Diop are off to Denver. Minnesota received zero point guards in return. According to my calculations, the Timberwolves do not have a point guard on the roster.

If you thought Presti was gonna ask for a whole heap of assets before last night, just think about what he’s asking now. He’s got Minnesota right where he wants them, just holding his prolific point guard over their heads.

Houston is not Done Trading

Another huge hole among these teams’ rosters following the trade is Houston’s lack of a center. Both Capela and Nene were shipped off, and they only received Jordan Bell. That’s not enough to go up against the likes of Steven Adams, Jokic, and AD in the playoffs.

While unlikely, it’s possible we start to see conversations of Steven Adams or Nerlens Noel to Houston. The Rockets removed quite a bit of salary last night, meaning they could theoretically get something done. Again, pretty unlikely, but just something to keep in mind.

Denver Could Try for Gallinari

It’s no secret at this point that Presti will hold on to Gallinari for as long as necessary. No one except OKC can pay Gallo what he deserves this offseason, meaning we could simply resign him to another year and run this back. But with all the role players Denver picked up, they may be more flexible in shipping off some of their young core.

Of course, that would mean they would need to give us someone like Murray or MPJ, two players Denver seems determined to keep. But this trade definitely changes that perspective a bit. Is it enough to get a deal done? We’ll see.

The Simplified Version of This Denver-Atlanta-Houston-Minnesota Trade

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So at the moment this is what we know:

  • Atlanta: Clint Capela (HOU), Nene (HOU)
  • Houston: Robert Covington (MIN), Jordan Bell (MIN), 2nd round pick (?)
  • Denver: Gerald Green (HOU), Noah Vonleh (MIN), Shabazz Napier (MIN), 1st Round Pick (HOU)
  • Minnesota: Malik Beasley (DEN), Juancho Hernangomez (DEN), Evan Turner (ATL), Jarred Vanderbilt (DEN), 1st Round Pick (ATL), Draft Compensation

What we don’t know is the year and protections of the draft picks. Further details will surely come out soon, in which case this blog will be updated. Stay tuned.

(By the way, there are 11 players involved at this moment. The NBA record is 13. Pretty wild)

Thunder Stand Pat at the Trade Deadline

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presti

Armed with a $10.8 million dollar trade exception, several player assets, two empty roster spots, and a competitive team, it appeared like the perfect storm for Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti to make a move to improve the team. But as the dust settled on the league’s transactions at the 3 p.m. trade deadline, the Thunder were no where to be found on the league’s trade approval docket. Having made a small trade several days earlier when they moved guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Chicago for a heavily protected 2nd round pick, the Thunder seemed poise to make a move.

Rumors were abound that the Thunder were interested in several wings around the league, such as Orlando’s Terrance Ross or Atlanta’s Taurean Prince. In the end though, the Thunder team that went into Thursday morning was the same team that took the floor against the Memphis Grizzlies, Thursday evening. Here are three reasons why the Thunder likely stood pat during this trade deadline. Continue reading →

Thunder obtain Abdel Nader in a trade with Boston

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NBA: Boston Celtics at Sacramento KingsIn a league where it seems like only big money contracts get traded, the Thunder have made two trades in the span of a week involving three players making exactly the same amount as second-year players on rookie minimum deals. Last Friday, the Thunder traded center Dakari Johnson and cash considerations to the Orlando Magic for Rodney Purvis.

Many viewed this trade as a cost-cutting move, as Johnson’s deal was fully guaranteed and Purvis’ deal was non-guaranteed through January 10th. The cash the Thunder sent to Orlando was likely to cover the cost of Johnson’s contract (around $1.5 million). Β  Continue reading →