Jerami Grant developed courtesy of OKC Thunder so his ‘sinking ship’ comments feel unwarranted
By Rylan Stiles
At NBA Media Day newly minted Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant called his former team the OKC Thunder a “Sinking Ship.” Is he right?
The OKC Thunder traded three of their five starters from a year ago this offseason. Included in the mix was promising young forward Jerami Grant who was shipped off to Denver for a first-round pick in return. That prompted Jerami Grant, who saw his career take off in Oklahoma City, to call the Thunder organization a “Sinking Ship.” sending the fanbase into a deep spiral across social media. With responses anywhere from “I get it.” to “How dare he?!” and everything in between.
The quote from Jerami Grant in the text is pretty disheartening especially to an organization that saved his career.
Jerami Grant on his trade from OKC to Denver: "I don’t think it was too difficult. There were some things going on in Oklahoma and they kind of got rid of a lot of different piece. For me it was almost good to get out of a sinking ship."
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 1, 2019
To not give the diplomatic answer of “It was difficult leaving the city, organization, and teammates who embraced me and helped me grow.” or something of that nature is a shot right to the heart of Thunder fans who supported him and really turned him into a beloved player in OKC. Not to mention the organization helping him develop into a player that is worthy of a big contract this upcoming offseason.
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Are his statements accurate though? Not even in the slightest. Sure, Mr. Technicality the Thunder will likely take a step back from last year’s 6th place finish in the Western Conference, but how far below 6th will they finish? Last year’s squad, or even the year before that, or any team Grant has been apart of haven’t exactly been world-beaters.
The Thunder were not going to shell out the overpriced contract Grant will command on the open market this offseason that will feature no stars in the Free Agency pool. So they flipped him for a first-round pick instead.
The Thunder also boosts a core of Darius Bazley, Hamidou Diallo, Deonte Burton, Steven Adams, Terrance Ferguson and oh yeah Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Wait, do not forget the draft picks galore that not only will allow OKC to improve the core via the draft but also have picks left over to make a splash in the trade market for the next disgruntled star if they so choose. That is the beautiful thing about all the draft picks Presti has compiled. Not only are they able to spend some of their draft capital but also deal some of the picks to improve the team.
Again, it is not even guaranteed that the Thunder misses the playoffs this year. The sinking ship comment is a bit much. It is okay to not be furious with Jerami Grant, but it is not at all okay to act as if his comments are an accurate representation of the current state of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise.
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What do you think of Jerami Grant’s comments? Let us know on Twitter or in the comment section.