Round Table Discussion: Grading the OKC Thunder’s Offseason
By David Ramil
Nov 18, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter (0) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) during the first half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 98-81. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Were trading Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones III the right thing for OKC to do this summer?
Lambert: Both moves had to be made. Both guys had their confidence destroyed by Scott Brooks and I don’t think they were ever going to succeed on a loaded OKC team. Money has needed to be saved and Lamb/Jones were the easiest guys to move. I wish them well on their new teams.
Riggs: Absolutely. It’s very possible both guys go on to have successful NBA careers, but that was never going to happen in OKC. Saving money and creating roster spots were a priority, so it made sense to move two guys who probably wouldn’t have seen much, if any playing time next season.
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Hutto: I suspect that Lamb will continue to fizzle in Charlotte, so I’m completely cool with that. PJIII is a different story. I accept the decision based on the financial need, but I believe that he was never given the fairest shot possible in OKC. I suspect he’ll shine as he fills a quality role for the Celtics… And I’ll still be rooting for Jones wherever he goes.
Livingston: Yes, for the sake of both sides, Lamb and Jones had to go. I don’t think they were the sole reason there was a slight void in the locker room but they definitely contributed to some uneasiness. Neither was going to be able to use their talent to positively impact the team enough and their salaries coming off the books helped the Thunder stay under the next tier of the luxury tax.
Lea: Absolutely, I still think they should have at least shopped Andre Roberson as well. Lamb and Jones really had an opportunity last season to step up and be great secondary leaders behind Westbrook. But, that didn’t happen. Instead they found themselves at the end of the bench under fire from Scott Brooks. Next season, the Thunder are clearly going all in on a title run, Lamb and Jones just weren’t on the same page.
Woods: Yes. They hadn’t shown any improvement on the court (reportedly, their X-Box skills have increased dramatically). Both had fallen out of the rotation with Scott Brooks, and although Billy Donovan comes from a college team, he’ll appreciate having better players to work with.
Next: A Bright Future for the Thunder