2017 OKC Thunder Trade Discussion

[Ontario]

What about Carmello? Phil Jackson is motivated to see him go, would maybe take a broken Enes Kanter? Anthony is totally on the downside of his career but can definitely play a poor man's KD shooting and scoring for at least the two more seasons he's under contract for and I am sure he would be a totally willing B option behind Russ.

Olidipo could start alongside the two but then rest early to give him minutes with the bench as the focal point of their offensive effort. Like Harden he could then also come in to close out the game as well. It's not a long term fix but we'd be talking home floor in the playoffs maybe even a WCF appearance?

asides:

- I didn't realize until I was watching the CAVS game a while back that Westy and Love were college room-mates, that wold be awesome to reunite those two but I am guessing it would have to be a Kevin Love opting out and signing as a FA sort of thing, no where near the assets on hand to get it done trade wise.

- I really want to see OKC pull GS in the playoffs, I want to see Roberson and Grant on the floor together manning up on the GS perimeter while WB roasts Curry and Adams kicks Draymond in the nuts. Guarding GS is the only reason I can see for moving Ilyasova for Grant, Ersan is having a great season and is exactly the type of guy the team needs. How the FO came to the conclusion they could not find a use for Ilyasova I will never understand.

[spearsy23]

You can ask the same question around nearly every team in the NBA. It doesn't happen, until it does. I go back to Houston, and they didn't have much in the way of assets post Harden either. This roster is young, improving, and not that far off. They need a wing and backup PG.

Houston had cap space. And we need a starting wing, a backup PG, a backup wing, and either a starting pf or growth from domantas + backup pf.

They can keep a wing (Robes), Sabonis develops, and need a wing and backup PG. The PG is cheap, you can find an MLE guy. The wing they need to pull a trade. And Houston used all its cap on Dwight one year entirely iirc. You can fill out the rest, the big stuff is there.

Robes really is worthless in a bench role, unless he's a guy that only plays against a few matchup like the rockets.

And yeah Houston used cap space on Dwight, but if we pulled a superstar then we could also survive without filling all of our needs.

[bondom34]

Houston had cap space. And we need a starting wing, a backup PG, a backup wing, and either a starting pf or growth from domantas + backup pf.

They can keep a wing (Robes), Sabonis develops, and need a wing and backup PG. The PG is cheap, you can find an MLE guy. The wing they need to pull a trade. And Houston used all its cap on Dwight one year entirely iirc. You can fill out the rest, the big stuff is there.

Robes really is worthless in a bench role, unless he's a guy that only plays against a few matchup like the rockets.

And yeah Houston used cap space on Dwight, but if we pulled a superstar then we could also survive without filling all of our needs.

Last season there was a breakdown on WTLC, Robes was the one who worked best w/ Kanter. He covered the defense better than anyone. I think he'd work in a weak defensive bench unit.

[hardenASG13]

Yea he let then down, but if they had some reliable options to hit dagger 3s it woulda helped, like so many stars have been helped by in the past when they are struggling. I agree not much can be done till the off-season, and then they need to covet shooting Ala houston. No chance to compete with golden state without shooting everywhere, as no defense in stopping them

He was the guy who was supposed to be hitting those dagger 3s. Nobody else was getting the ball down the stretch as long as he was on the roster. If you think he was going to be giving it up for Trevor Ariza, not sure what to say.

Of course your not sure what to say, because by your own admission you started watching basketball with lebron....then stopped liking him bc of the decision and started liking kd because he tweeted his first extension at the same time....you know, the same extension that LeBron and every other player signed/sign after their rookie deal, making your whole reason for liking the thunder comically stupid? Anyway back on topic, nba, college, and even high school bball history is filled with role players who hit big shots in the playoffs when stars were off or struggled because the whole day d keyed on them.....kerr,paxon,horry,fisher,Ray allen, many others...happens all the time really

[bondom34]

Yea he let then down, but if they had some reliable options to hit dagger 3s it woulda helped, like so many stars have been helped by in the past when they are struggling. I agree not much can be done till the off-season, and then they need to covet shooting Ala houston. No chance to compete with golden state without shooting everywhere, as no defense in stopping them

He was the guy who was supposed to be hitting those dagger 3s. Nobody else was getting the ball down the stretch as long as he was on the roster. If you think he was going to be giving it up for Trevor Ariza, not sure what to say.

Of course your not sure what to say, because by your own admission you started watching basketball with lebron....then stopped liking him bc of the decision and started liking kd because he tweeted his first extension at the same time....you know, the same extension that LeBron and every other player signed/sign after their rookie deal, making your whole reason for liking the thunder comically stupid? Anyway back on topic, nba, college, and even high school bball history is filled with role players who hit big shots in the playoffs when stars were off or struggled because the whole day d keyed on them.....kerr,paxon,horry,fisher,Ray allen, many others...happens all the time really

So your point is, you were wrong? Because me being a fan has nothing to do with Durant choking.

[hardenASG13]

He was the guy who was supposed to be hitting those dagger 3s. Nobody else was getting the ball down the stretch as long as he was on the roster. If you think he was going to be giving it up for Trevor Ariza, not sure what to say.

Of course your not sure what to say, because by your own admission you started watching basketball with lebron....then stopped liking him bc of the decision and started liking kd because he tweeted his first extension at the same time....you know, the same extension that LeBron and every other player signed/sign after their rookie deal, making your whole reason for liking the thunder comically stupid? Anyway back on topic, nba, college, and even high school bball history is filled with role players who hit big shots in the playoffs when stars were off or struggled because the whole day d keyed on them.....kerr,paxon,horry,fisher,Ray allen, many others...happens all the time really

So your point is, you were wrong? Because me being a fan has nothing to do with Durant choking.

No point is with statements like this (and your reason for liking the thunder) you don't know bball that well and are easily swayed by media narratives and home announcers, as well as advanced stats that dont tell all. All Stars need reliable surrounding players for when they are off or being keyed on....which happens all the time, to the best of them. But you come off so smug with your stats and statements because your a mod who clearly has played little to no basketball and only started paying attention to it about 10 years ago

[ThunderBolt]

How can anyone think this team has potential to be good during westbrooks prime? We have no assets and overpaid Adams and Oladipo. I'm sad for Russ.

[hardenASG13]

Reggie had become that 3rd player before he had a mental breakdown about coming off the bench. Ibaka was a great role player, but wanted to be more of the offense without the ability to do so. OKC has had some solid role players. Roberson's regression this year has been a disaster after showing improvement last year. If Roberson had taken another small step forward this year to shoot 33% from 3, after shooting 31% last year, no one would be freaking out about the role players.

The roster was never supposed to be Russ, kd and scrubs. Presti has just had a problem with getting guys to put their ego aside for rings. Harden wanted his max, and he deserved it, but ownership wasn't willing to go into the tax at that point. Reggie wanted to be a starter and was causing issues in the locker room. Waiters was an attempted fix, but he isn't good enough to be the 3rd/4th scoring option on a championship team. It's not Presti's fault that two seasons were wasted with injuries to Russ and kd. Despite all the flaws the roster last year was good enough to win a championship and then Presti improved it heading into FA this year. Then the team got destroyed in FA.

Yeah it's too bad Reggie self destructed, bc he did come through when needed a few times....but at the same time I can see where he was coming from because he was a proven offensive weapon who coulda been great witg Westbrook in the backcourt. And yea 31 percent isn't terrible, but it's misleading because those are on Roberson looks (unguarded, begging him to shoot), compared to other nba wings who the defense guards and hafta shoot quick or contested jumpers. Comparing the 2 isn't exactly right

[Kizz Fastfists]

Am I the only one who actually likes this season and doesn't want to blow up the roster?

No. All your old buddies at TF love the team also. They think tanking is insane because Russ and Kanter can carry OKC.

[bondom34]

Am I the only one who actually likes this season and doesn't want to blow up the roster?

No. All your old buddies at TF love the team also. They think tanking is insane because Russ and Kanter can carry OKC.

Don't think I ever said that much man. But the hyperbole is fantastic. Feel free to let the Thunder be irrelevant, because you know once you lose a star they come so quickly.

[bondom34]

You don't chase off the only superstar who actually wants to be there.

[Statlanta]

The problem is how do they build around Russ? I think we all agree the current roster will never be good enough. They have no cap room. They have minimal draft picks and those will be in the 20s. You have a 3-4 year window before Russ starts to slip due to age. Where do the win now pieces come from? You can't trade guys like Oladipo and Adams and expect a rookie to be as good or better until the 3rd or 4th year in the league. They can't add a guy like Hayward in FA because they have no cap space.

I'm not saying that you can't build a championship roster around Russ. I'm saying OKC can't do it before he is out of his prime. Abrines and Sabonis are going to be nice players, but they aren't going to move the team from a 7th seed to top 2 in the West. OKC could have a shot at another solid player in this year's draft due to it's depth, but it won't be a guy that elevates the team it will be a solid role player type. Yes, it could be an upgrade to the current rotation in their 2nd season, but that really doesn't take much for a team that has Andre Roberson as their 4th best player and Kyle Singler gets regular playing time.

You can ask the same question around nearly every team in the NBA. It doesn't happen, until it does. I go back to Houston, and they didn't have much in the way of assets post Harden either. This roster is young, improving, and not that far off. They need a wing and backup PG.

The best strategy to win is often to just consistently be really good long enough to catch a lucky break. Be a team good enough to make a WCF and someone gets injured, boom. I don't think this roster is far from being at that point, and in honesty nobody beats GSW or the Cavs the next year or so. This year was always and will always be a bridge. We need to view it as such.

Which is why you rebuild now. By the time Golden State and Cleveland decline, Russ will be declining too. Houston is improved this year but I don't think they are good enough to beat San Antonio or Golden State in a series.

Sorry to chime in but this convo has really fascinated me. It seems a bit odd that a good team is worrying about the future of their franchise when they have a great base in a superstar and young players. OKC is in a nice spot going forward and I am not sure fans would want to trade their current basketball product for say Orlando's which I've barely gotten the enjoyment of watching this season.

The competitive state of the league(Golden State) and Sixers recent rebuild project has gotten fans to think more and more about the future of their teams than past years it seems. I think seeing the asset base of the Wolves/76ers and the dominance of the Warriors has gotten fans longing for a better future seeing as the present looks to be a Warriors dynasty. It appears now fans would rather enjoy the euphoria of not knowing the future state/ceiling of their basketball product than being guaranteed a locked in good product compared to fans of yesteryear.

I think fans just need to understand that fortunes can change quickly in the NBA.

[bondom34]

You can ask the same question around nearly every team in the NBA. It doesn't happen, until it does. I go back to Houston, and they didn't have much in the way of assets post Harden either. This roster is young, improving, and not that far off. They need a wing and backup PG.

The best strategy to win is often to just consistently be really good long enough to catch a lucky break. Be a team good enough to make a WCF and someone gets injured, boom. I don't think this roster is far from being at that point, and in honesty nobody beats GSW or the Cavs the next year or so. This year was always and will always be a bridge. We need to view it as such.

Which is why you rebuild now. By the time Golden State and Cleveland decline, Russ will be declining too. Houston is improved this year but I don't think they are good enough to beat San Antonio or Golden State in a series.

Sorry to chime in but this convo has really fascinated me. It seems a bit odd that a good team is worrying about the future of their franchise when they have a great base in a superstar and young players. OKC is in a nice spot going forward and I am not sure fans would want to trade their current basketball product for say Orlando's which I've barely gotten the enjoyment of watching this season.

The competitive state of the league(Golden State) and Sixers recent rebuild project has gotten fans to think more and more about the future of their teams than past years it seems. I think seeing the asset base of the Wolves/76ers and the dominance of the Warriors has gotten fans longing for a better future seeing as the present looks to be a Warriors dynasty. It appears now fans would rather enjoy the euphoria of not knowing the future state/ceiling of their basketball product than being guaranteed a locked in good product compared to fans of yesteryear.

I think fans just need to understand that fortunes can change quickly in the NBA.

I just want to say thank you.

I wish I could get other fanbases to see this thread just for this purpose.

[spearsy23]

At this point I don't care who or what, just make a move. Give me something beside Russ to be excited about.

[bondom34]

At this point I don't care who or what, just make a move. Give me something beside Russ to be excited about.

TBH I'm with you. I don't even care what now. Just a shiny new player.

[spearsy23]

At this point I don't care who or what, just make a move. Give me something beside Russ to be excited about.

TBH I'm with you. I don't even care what now. Just a shiny new player.

Honestly I'm at the point where if I found out we trade for Solomon hill I'd be happy...

[bondom34]

At this point I don't care who or what, just make a move. Give me something beside Russ to be excited about.

TBH I'm with you. I don't even care what now. Just a shiny new player.

Honestly I'm at the point where if I found out we trade for Solomon hill I'd be happy...

If he's new and not 40 I'm good.

[spearsy23]

We'll just re-sign Derek fisher

[ThunderBolt]

If we aren't going to trade Russ and rebuild, we need to look at moving Vic, and Adams as well. I realize people might say I'm crazy for suggestion we move Adams, but he's underperformed this year. Guys that get contracts like he got can't struggle against Rolo. He's not good enough to be the second best player on a contender. He's a fourth or fifth guy. He's the typical rim protector center that helps your team but doesn't carry it. We have very few options.
1) Trade Russ and tank
2) trade Sabonis and Abrines for more veteran guys
3) trade Adams, Vic, Kanter and maybe get some young guys and clear up cap space.
Any other option doesn't really make a significant difference. Payne has no value. I'm not even sure he's much better than Semaj.

[spearsy23]

I'd be okay with moving Steven for a top 6 pick. Draft Jackson or Isaac and at least put a higher ceiling on the team.