OKC Thunder: How the 16th pick in the 1989 draft turned into Dennis Schroder

Many deals link back in time such as the OKC Thunder trade for Dennis Schroder that can be traced back more than 30-years.

On July 25th, 2018 the OKC Thunder made a trade which has had a huge impact on their franchise. As part of a three-team trade, the Thunder effectively traded Carmelo Anthony to the Atlanta Hawks for Dennis Schroder.

Anthony, one of the best scorers ever to play in the league, was not a good fit for the OKC Thunder. He has shown this season with his career revival playing for the Portland Trail Blazers that he is still a tremendous offensive threat.

The OKC Thunder certainly won this trade

There is no question the Thunder won this particular trade. Schroder is a Sixth Man of the Year finalist averaging 18.9 points, 4.0 assist, and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is also a part of the Thunder’s death lineup which won 30 clutch games in the regular season.

It is easy to marvel at the simple brilliance of the trade which Sam Presti made to get rid of the millstone that was Anthony’s contract. Not only did he remove the $25 million cost of a relatively unproductive player, the Thunder inadvertently started their rebuild.

Getting Schroder locked up next year on a team-friendly $15 million contract is key. It means they can keep Chris Paul’s massive contract on the books and still have relative flexibility to sign players for next season.

If Presti had not been able to make the trade, the OKC Thunder may have been left in the middle of the pack, with a very expensive team going nowhere. As it is, the Thunder are in a winning position with the ability to improve.

Yet, the origin of the Dennis Schroder trade dates back — way back. Let’s look at how the OKC Thunder turned the 16th pick of the 1989 draft into Dennis Schroder.