11 best OKC Thunder acquisitions in franchise 11-year history
By Shade Piper
OKC Thunder acquires Dennis Schroder and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot:
Leading up to this trade it was well-known that OKC wanting to rid themselves of Carmelo Anthony, but most thought a trade was unrealistic. The overwhelmingly likely scenario was he would end up being bought out. But, Presti defied the odds and was not only able to get rid of Anthony’s monster contract but also receive Dennis Schroder in return who would end up being a very valuable piece for OKC.
Like OKC’s situation, Atlanta was ready to move on from Schroder due to some character concerns, but Schroder completely shed any uneasiness within one season of his fresh start with the Thunder.
Not only did Schroder mend any off the court apprehension but he managed to become the clubs, third-leading scorer while coming off the bench. He averaged 15.5 points and 4.1 assists per game (tied for second on the team in assists per game) in his first season with OKC. In addition, Schroder’s points per game average were within a point of Anthony’s average in OKC.
With OKC entering rebuild mode just a season after this trade, it also makes the lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick sent to Atlanta less likely to convey to Atlanta since OKC appears to be headed in the direction of the lottery.
If the miracle of trading the contract most believed couldn’t be traded isn’t enough, the return the Thunder received definitely makes this trade yet another winner for OKC.