Oklahoma City Thunder: Trade Deadline Journal
9AM – It’s TRADE DEADLINE DAY! I don’t expect much to happen until 2PM EST and I’d be shocked if the Oklahoma City Thunder did anything major, but that won’t stop me from coming up with a few scenarios to improve the team when I should be working.
10AM – Would OKC fans trade Enes Kanter for Pau Gasol? How about a three team deal that lands Pau and Kent Bazemore in OKC in exchange for Kanter, Dion Waiters, and possibly Mitch McGary. Remember when OKC made a big push for Gasol when he was a free agent? He’s a couple years older, but he’s still extremely smooth on the offensive end, a better passer, and a slightly better defender. Plus, we’d have Bazemore over Waiters, which is a huge upgrade. I feel like that’s a good deal.
10:02AM – Woj says that Boston won’t pay a premium price for Dwight Howard. I’m shocked no one wants a 30-year-old child with injury issues.
11AM – I had a doctor’s appointment but it doesn’t sound like I missed too much. While waiting for the doctor, I thought about Kevin Martin returning. I think it only makes sense if Waiters gets shipped out. OKC already has enough one-way guards. As much as I liked Martin, his one year in OKC was the best team they’ve ever had, I don’t see how he fits on the 2015-2016 team.
11:24AM – Woj is reporting that Atlanta intends to keep their team intact. So much for OKC trading for Kent Bazemore or my deal that sends Serge Ibaka and Waiters to Atlanta for Al Horford and Kyle Korver. Can you tell that I’m really trying to get rid of Dion Waiters?
12:03PM – WE HAVE A TRADE! The Pelicans are getting Jarnell Stokes from the Heat. No clue who that is but I’m willing to bet that he won’t make the Pelicans a playoff team. Remember before the season when everyone thought Anthony Davis was the third best player in the league behind Steph Curry and LeBron James? That sure died out quickly.
12:20PM – AND ANOTHER ONE! The Rockets have acquired Joel Anthony to replace Dwight Howard when he eventually gets traded later today from the Pistons in exchange for Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton. If Donatas Motiejunas is the biggest name moved today, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
12:40PM – THADDEUS YOUNG! CHANNING FRYE! THE DEADLINE IS HEATING UP!
12:44PM – Woj reporting that OKC might get Randy Foye. Hopefully it’s for, ah, you already know who. Foye is having a down season, but hopefully playing with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant can revitalize him a bit.
12:45PM – Channing Frye is going to Cleveland. I used to love him in NBA 2K because he could shoot threes. Doesn’t Kevin Love already do that for the Cavs?
1:03PM – Anthony Slater just tweeted out the shot charts for Foye and Waiters. In fairness to Foye, he’s playing on the Nuggets and not with two of the best players in the league. His defense is what matters and he appears to be a slight upgrade in that department. If this deal happens, it doesn’t appear to be anything more than window dressing for OKC.
More from Thunderous Intentions
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- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
1:28PM – Looks like D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak will go to Denver in exchange for Foye. Alright. A couple of non-rotation guys for a possible rotation guy. OKC frees up a roster spot, which could be used for a veteran who will get bought out. Not a whole lot to see here.
1:52PM – Some Thunder fans are upset over the trade and I just don’t see why. At best, Foye provides a spark off the bench and OKC signs Martin or Joe Johnson to deepen the bench even more. At worst, everything stays the same. I understand the disappointment over wanting something bigger, but there should be no disappointment in what actually happened.
2PM – One hour before the deadline and everything has gone silent. Except my boss, who is wondering why I’m writing about NBA trades instead of working. Slater is reporting that OKC is done for the day. Not surprising. Last hour is all about whether or not an Eastern conference team makes a big enough splash to potentially dethrone the Cavs.
2:30PM – Some minor stuff happened. Portland got to the salary floor, Atlanta traded no one important, and that’s about it. 30 MINUTES LEFT! LET’S DO SOMETHING!
2:34PM – Remember when all hell broke loose at 3PM last season? OKC made the big trade to get Kanter when everyone thought Brook Lopez was a lock and every point guard on a bad team got traded. That was fun. I don’t think this year will be as fun.
2:43PM – MARKIEFF MORRIS TO THE WIZARDS! This feels like a desperation move made by a team looking to lose to the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. I think Morris is a good player, but I don’t know how he’s going to work in a locker room that reportedly already has a couple of problems. Good on Phoenix for getting the first round pick they were seeking for him.
2:56PM – Dwight Howard won’t be traded. Not exactly shocking news.
3:16PM – LANCE STEPHENSON TO MEMPHIS! I love that Memphis is basically saying, “Screw it. We’re just going to acquire the most frustrating players in the league and they’ll either kill the other team or kill each other.” Jeff Green goes to the Clippers, making the best bench in the league (according to Reggie Miller) even better.
3:30PM – Looks like the market has closed. Markieff Morris, a guy with zero playoff games to his name, was the biggest name moved. Atlanta didn’t blow things up, Howard didn’t get traded, Cleveland didn’t make a big trade to help them compete with the Warriors and Spurs, and no one in the East made a big trade to help them compete with the Cavs. All in all, a rather boring afternoon. Now we wait for buyouts, which could be more exciting than today.