Trade rumor roundup: Who’s potentially available for Oklahoma City?

Imagine having a document with every available player that could be of interest to Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder. Well now you do.

Thanks to a new rule instituted this season, the NBA Trade Deadline is only four days away. This roughly two-week shortening is actually a positive for teams like the Thunder, who need as much time as possible to acclimate with any new teammates.

As we get closer and closer the rumors are starting to heat up. Marcus Smart is now reportedly on the table. The Thunder have expressed interest in Avery Bradley. Aaron Gordon might get moved if the price is right. Even with the Super Bowl, the NBA is subtly maintaining a spot in the headlines – it’s truly an incredible time to be a basketball fan.

Now to the point of this post. Sam Presti and his front-office is extremely quiet when it comes to leaking rumors. Because we have zero inclination of what the Thunder’s move might be, we’re going to quickly go through every player reportedly on the Trade Block and asses whether it’s a good fit/if there’s even a remote possibility of acquiring them.

It’s going to be fun, fast and fantastic (that is, the analysis). Let’s get to it.

Players known to be on the trade block

Marcus Smart

Fit: 10/10

Likelihood: 2/10

Smart should be the #1 target for Presti and Thunder Nation. He’s the closest thing to Andre Roberson in terms of defensive flexibility and hard-nosed play. The only problem is Oklahoma City really has no assets to send back to Boston except for Terrance Ferguson, which Presti won’t do for a half-season rental.

Avery Bradley

Fit: 8/10

Likelihood: 5/10

Bradley’s terrible +/- numbers are well-recorded at this point – that doesn’t mean he’s now worth the gamble for Presti as long as the price is right. He’s smaller than Roberson but provides similar intense isolation defense. Combine that with Bradley’s ability to shoot from deep and you have a player that could help OKC on both ends. The only reason I don’t see this playing out is because the rumor is now out there, and the Thunder never leak rumors unless it’s a smoke screen.

Lou Williams

Fit: 7/10

Likelihood: 3/10

Lou Will was OKC’s premiere target until the Andre Roberson injury. The OKC Thunder second-unit could still use his scoring, but defense is the biggest priority for Presti now. That plus the League-wide infatuation with Lou makes it hard for me to believe Oklahoma City could pull off anything for the almost All-Star.

Courtney Lee

Fit: 9/10

Likelihood: 1/10

I love Lee’s game – I hate Lee’s contract. Oklahoma City can’t afford to pay their backup shooting guard $12.5 million the next two seasons, hence why this trade will never go through. Sorry y’all.

Garrett Temple

Fit: 9/10

Likelihood: 7/10

And finally we have a player who actually has a good chance of getting moved to OKC. The contract slightly hurts, but Temple’s too smart of a player for Presti to pass up. He won’t replace Roberson’s one-on-one defense, but the veteran would be a great communicative partner alongside Paul George. Throw in the fact he can actually shoot proficiently from deep and there’s a slight chance Oklahoma City’s starting lineup would be improved.

Kyle O’Quinn

Fit: 10/10

Likelihood: 3/10

If our Twitter mentions are any indication, Thunder Nation is grateful to finally see a big man on this list. I agree that O’Quinn would be a welcome addition to a small second-unit, but I’m hesitant to believe that position is more important than a starting-caliber win. When we get to the Playoffs most teams won’t play a true center with their bench. Is it worth it to give up an asset or two if we’re unsure he’ll be needed when the games truly count?

Justin Holiday

Fit: 6/10

Likelihood: 3/10

Holiday has gotten a lot of traction over the last couple weeks inside of Thunder Nation. To be honest with you I just don’t see it. He’s a solid player, but not somebody who’s going to move the needle. Holiday’s only shooting 37.2% from the field and 37.3% from three – those numbers just aren’t good enough for a player that’s main skill is his shooting. Especially when the defense leaves less to be desired.

Rodney Hood

Fit: 7/10

Likelihood: 4/10

Hood would be fantastic fourth option for this Thunder team, but his inconsistency leaves less to be desired. If Roberson was still healthy I would have been much more excited about the proposition of him coming off the bench. Since that obviously isn’t the case, I find it hard to believe Presti can come up with a balanced trade to a smart Utah front office without giving up Ferguson.

Tyreke Evans

Fit: 8/10

Likelihood: 3/10

Tyreke was my personal favorite trade target pre-Roberson injury. But like Lou Will, defense became the priority when the Lowkey MVP went down. With so many teams interested I find it hard to believe he’s going to be in a Thunder jersey. But as you’ll learn at the end of this post, I have a feeling Evans’ will be involved in an OKC trade in some way.

Jordan Clarkson

Fit: 7/10

Likelihood: 1/10

Same story with Tyreke, Lou, etc. except Clarkson comes with a hefty price tage the next two seasons. Next.

A player not rumored, but pay attention to

Sam Presti and the Thunder are sneaky – you never know who they truly are targeting. Here’s a couple names who haven’t been in the headlines who I could see as a potential acquisition.

Johnathan Simmons

Fit: 10/10

Likelihood: 3/10

As you can see, we’ve already covered this possibility in an article – check out what Lawrence George has to say about the best fit candidate to join OKC. The only thing I really disagree with him about is Simmons’ value. The 27-year old is an athletic defender with a still improving offensive game, on a cheap contract for multiple years. That’s a recipe for a first-rounder, aka Terrance Ferguson.

And that’s where I think a trade falls apart. Oklahoma City is not giving up Ferguson unless it’s for a proven starter in the League. Simmons has been on the bench for almost all of his career. If Presti can figure out how to acquire Simmons without Ferguson than I’m all in on a deal. And I believe he can do it too, solely because he brought Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in a matter of months.

The Final Decision

I don’t see Sam Presti making a move unless it’s a significant one. Trading for the Justin Holiday’s or Marco Belinelli’s of the world simply doesn’t change the landscape of this team. There’s just no sense in giving up any assets if it doesn’t give the OKC Thunder a chance of beating the Rockets and/or Warriors.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 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

With that being said, I think there’s something big in the works. The Avery Bradley rumors were probably a smoke screen for something much bigger, something involving the first player we discussed.

Yep…I see Marcus Smart in an Oklahoma City jersey – the fit is just too perfect. Smart’s tough-nosed, 1-4 defense would fit in perfectly with this team. Playing with three All-Stars would have to diminish his inclination to shoot, and I could see Billy Donovan giving him time with the bench to feed Smart’s thirst.

This is where it really gets fun: the trade will come in the form of a three-team deal. Smart to the Thunder, Tyreke Evans to the Celtics and ??? to the Grizzlies. I’m not going to attempt hypothesizing what Presti, Danny Ainge and Chris Wallace would work out, but some how it’s going to get done.

Just wait on it.