OKC Thunder trade deadline: Hawks options offer depth and future salary relief
Travis Schlenk already proved last season he wasn’t averse to letting the deadline slip and waiving players after the fact. That’s precisely what he did with Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. Ahh, the benefit of having cap space.
Still, it’s unlikely Schlenk will be forced into that scenario this season given the talent on the table, or rather the type of talent. When contending teams hit the deadline although some will look to make a big splash most are looking to plug gaps and fill specific roles. Because of that several of the Hawks should draw attention.
As for the two on our board let’s examine the fit and the potential for trade. The trade tax exemption the OKC Thunder hold of $10.88 million could be used to purchase Dedmon’s $7.2 million expiring contract.
The question is whether the Thunder want a third center. Much depends on whether Presti is worried about not having someone in the event one of Steven Adams or Nerlens Noel went down. Again, the perimeter capability of Dedmon makes him an interesting option especially since neither Adams or Noel offer that feature.
The fit with OKC Thunder:
As for Prince he fits the Presti mold of young, athletic defenders and does have the ability to hit from deep. But, if the concerns over his ball stopping prove correct I’m not sure he presents the best option for OKC particularly with Ferguson and Nader seemingly gaining traction in the offense.
On the other hand, the above trade does offer Sam Presti something he hasn’t had much of which is some salary flexibility for next season. Patterson has a player option in 2019-2020 and I’m not sure he won’t opt in given his limited play and how players of his contribution are currently getting paid. So trading him would remove the need to pay $5.7 million next year (which in fairness is still a steal).
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Likewise, it would remove Abrines who the Thunder have barely utilized this year. This is the final year of Abrines contract and though nothing has been stated it’s hard to imagine at least at this stage OKC re-signing the Spaniard. Plus they get an upgrade defensively with Prince.
That makes the deal seem a bit more logical since Prince would be an economical addition who wouldn’t hurt the bottom line next season. Prince will be in the final year of his rookie contract earning $3.48 million.
Likelihood of Trade:
The question is whether Presti will make trades solely with the view of winning this season or with the combined focus of how the salary sheet would be affected next year.
Bottom line, either player could be picked up individually or in the package outlined and wouldn’t be the worst situation since both players could immediately provide a service for OKC. At 6’8″ Prince (just one inch shorter than Patterson) could be utilized as a backup at either forward position. Donovan could conceivably play Adams and Dedmon or Noel and Dedmon together in a big ball lineup as well.
Grading trade:
Chemistry is a real thing on teams and the current roster is super close, but neither Prince or Dedmon are malcontents so conceivably would fit in well. It’s not the worst trade that could happen especially because it offers depth and salary relief next season. The bigger question is whether Schlenk would be interested if no picks were included.
Grade: 7 out of 10