Five Players OKC Thunder Could Target In A “Reverse Harden Trade”
Jabari Parker
The second overall pick in the 2014 draft has had his promising career limited with two ACL tears.
His first came 25 games into his rookie year, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season as well as the first four games of the next season. His second came this past February, and is expected to need 12 months to recover. This means Parker is likely to miss more than three months to start the 2017-2018 season.
Coincidentally, the Bucks have made the Playoffs each of the two years he has been injured, and missed the playoffs the one year he remained healthy. The team is now focused on building around all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo, which leaves Parker on the outside looking in. The small forward is eligible for a contract extension this fall. Would the Bucks really want to spend a ton of money on a player who has struggled to stay healthy?
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So what makes Parker appealing from the Thunder’s point of view? First off, they could buy incredibly low on him, and not have to worry about giving up too many assets in a trade. They could also try to extend him at a reduced cost, the way the Warriors were able to do with Stephen Curry and his lingering ankle injuries. The Thunder would need to trust their medical staff and hope these were two freak injuries that don’t have any negative impact long-term.
When Parker has been able to play, he looks like one of the league’s best young scorers. This past year, he averaged 20.1 points on 49 percent shooting and 36 percent from downtown. His shot creating abilities would be very beneficial to a team that essentially relied on Westbrook to do everything. At 6’8 250, he has the ability to play both forward positions, which is ideal in today’s NBA.
A trade for Parker would be a massive risk, but with an organization that has been known for playing it safe over the years, this change of approach might be encouraged.