The recent three team trade was a massive win for the OKC Thunder. With OKC fans, pundits and casual enthusiasts split on the deal, Sam Presti ticked all the boxes from a front office standpoint.
Somehow, the OKC Thunder flipped Carmelo Anthony‘s supposedly immovable $27.9 million contract into Dennis Schroder and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (TLC). The Thunder were desperate to move Anthony’s albatross contract, staring down the barrel of a $300-million-dollar plus salary and tax bill. Had ownership stood pat, it would be the most expensive roster in NBA history.
Before we proceed, I do not have any ties to ownership’s wealth. There is a growing sentiment that fans should pay little attention to owners pockets. While it is true that owners have a degree of obligation to field the best roster, there are limits. Its always easier to spend someone else’s money so fans need to cap their expectations.
All those things aside, this is was a tremendous move by Sam Presti. Lets take a look at three reasons why this was an absolute win for the Thunder’s front office.