OKC Thunder trade primer: The Thunder join the New York firesale

Damyean Dotson

2018-19 – $1,378,242
2019-20 – $1,618,520
2020-21 – RFA

Taken with the 44th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Damyean Dotson barely graced the court in his rookie season playing behind a guard rotation of Courtney Lee, Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke, Jarrett Jack, and Ron Baker. The New York faithful have been clamoring for increased playing time for Dotson for the past two seasons and they’ve finally been rewarded with the 26-year-old the primary beneficiary of the Knicks poor form.

At 6’6, 210 pounds with a 6’9 wingspan, Dotson is an athletic wing whose improved his consistency from the outside. The sophomore is shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 37.8 from three while being able to defend some of the better offensive players in the NBA thanks to his quick feet.

In one of his best performances of the season, Dotson posted 22 points on 9-16 from the field and 4-8 from three in the Knicks 113-99 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Dotson is an interesting player as he does many of the small things well without being fantastic in any given category. He is still on his rookie-scale deal and would fit nicely alongside ball dominant players on a contending team.

Potential Trade

The Knicks and Thunder engage in a trade where OKC send a young asset and a second-round pick to pick up Dotson.

As good as Abdel Nader has been this season, he is still a year away from contributing and gets regularly burned on defense. Dotson is a capable two-way player who’s shown flashes of being an excellent defender against strong offensive players in the NBA.

NBA teams have begun to unveil wonderful talents later in drafts and Dotson could be another sleeper looking for a consistent shot.