OKC Thunder: Grading the Dennis Schröder trade over a year later
By Aidan E
Breaking down the trade:
A little over a year ago, Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder management decided to end the Carmelo Anthony experiment by shipping him to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Thunder also received Timothe Luwawe Cabarrot in the deal as they had to include a third team (Philadelphia) to make the trade work.
At the time, my timeline was filled with hyped Thunder fans who were not only excited to get off of Melo’s albatross contract but also because the OKC Thunder were bringing in a legitimate backup point guard, a position the Thunder have desperately needed ever since the departure of Reggie Jackson.
The Hawks, on the other hand, were doing what a lot of smart organizations have been doing recently. Taking on bad contracts for draft compensation has been a popular move for bad teams as of late. In addition to getting the protected pick, the Hawks also managed to shed Schroder’s long term contract (3 years, 46.5 million) in order to give Trae Young the starting point guard job as a rookie.
At the time, this trade seemed like a win-win. The Thunder were able to dump Melo’s 27 million dollars expiring deal and got (what was perceived to be) a good backup point guard who could limit the deficits the OKC Thunder were facing every time Westbrook was off the floor. The Hawks were able to get off their backup point guard long-term salary and got a 1st round pick.