Quick reaction to the Cameron Payne, Doug McDermott trade

It’s sad to see Cameron Payne go. But it’s much much much better to see Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson and a second round pick return.

Before I say anything, I want to thank Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow and Cameron Payne for representing the Oklahoma City organization. You all had different roles/tenures, but I can honestly say you all have left an imprint on me and the rest of Thunder Nation. I wish you all nothing but the best in Chicago and wherever else you may land.

Now to the trade.

How? How does Sam Presti do this? How have opposing GM’s not realized by now that trading with Presti is a bad idea? Because this trade was atrocious for the Bulls. And absolutely beautiful for the Thunder.

Think about where we were at the beginning of these trade rumors.

Andre Roberson was in almost every rumor surrounding these two teams. And it made sense. To receive a solid third-year player AND a starting power forward teams normally have to give up something of substance. And it’s not like the Bulls didn’t want Roberson.

But somehow, and some way, Presti was able to convince Chicago that Roberson was not needed to make this deal fair. In fact, he was able to convince the Bulls that they needed to send a draft pick as well. Are we sure Gar Forman is sane?

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Oklahoma City couldn’t have done any better at the deadline. There were only two types of players that made sense for them: a young prospect on his rookie deal or a veteran known for their leadership abilities. They got both with this trade.

Obviously the big loss on OKC’s side is Payne. But here’s the thing. Payne was never going to reach his full potential playing behind Russell Westbrook. But because he was playing behind Westbrook, Presti could use that plus minimal playing time to overhype how good Payne is going to be down the road.

Ultimately Payne’s growth is going to be the only way to judge this trade. Lauvergne is a career backup at best. Morrow has a strong possibility of playing in his last NBA season if his shooting doesn’t improve. Both players on the last years of their contract, so this was a sign that they weren’t coming back anyway.

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Finally, this trade also frees up a roster spot for the Thunder. Not only did they add two studs in McDermott and Gibson, but they also gave themselves the opportunity to sign one of the plethora of buyouts that will happen over the next couple of days.

Quick reaction grade: A