The Andre Roberson no-trade was essential to the offseason
The trade which sent Cam Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne to the Chicago Bulls for Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a second round pick was a great move for the OKC Thunder. Not including Andre Roberson was the best part of it.
Andre Roberson was a massive part of the OKC Thunder defense last season. He moved from shooting guard to small forward and locked down opposing players night in and night out. His offensive woes are well documented, but who is perfect?
Including Roberson in the Chicago trade would surely have brought in an additional piece. But a current Thunder team – with Paul George and without Andre Roberson – wouldn’t nearly be as frightening.
Most pundits could not believe Sam Presti was able to acquire Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott without including Roberson. I hope you all remember how Roberson reacted to the news: he hugged everyone in the organization the day the news of the trade broke.
— Andre Roberson (@FlyDre21) February 23, 2017
Yes, Gibson has signed on with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the combination of his willingness for a bigger contract/the Thunder’s depth at power forward made it easy to let him go in return for Roberson.
Free Agency period
Now fast forward to the free agency period. Presti traded Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo for George. This allows Roberson to slide back to shooting guard, his natural position on the defensive end. That is great, however, the best bit is still to come.
The deal Presti signed Roberson to was almost as criminal as the trade for George; a Second Team All-Defensive player signed for 3 years at $10 million per year even with a salary cap pushing $100 million.
Roberson is happy with his role: he loves guarding the opposing team’s best player every night. The fact Presti did not have to trade him means Roberson’s deal was able to benefit the team. Imagine trying to lure a player of Roberson’s defensive capabilities to the OKC Thunder for $10 million a season. Not going to happen.
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Now the Thunder have one of the better perimeter defenses in the NBA. Roberson and George are both elite defenders on the wing. Patrick Patterson, another offseason signing, is one of the more underrated defenders in the league.
Steven Adams will be able to anchor the middle in the way he knows best. He could not do this last season with the personnel around him. In this scenario, Westbrook is the worst defender in the starting five. I’d say having a former PAC-10 DPOY as your worst starting defender is a pretty good sign.
This lineup might not be able to compete offensively with the Golden State Warriors this season. With Andre Roberson still in the fold, however, the Thunder may very well have the defense to stop Golden State now.