Even before the first name was called in the draft the OKC Thunder had already made two big trades which served up hidden benefits.
The OKC Thunder have been busy already since the trade restrictions ended on Monday. The team immediately traded Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for Danny Green and the 28th pick. Green was then flipped to the Philadelphia 76ers for Al Horford and pick 34, Theo Maledon plus another future pick
The next trade was a blockbuster six-player trade sending Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns. In return, they got Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque. This is an impressive haul for Paul.
However, it is the Suns trade which is the most beneficial for the OKC Thunder. We all know that Chris Paul was on a monster deal, those who watched him last season understood why. It took the salary of two players, Oubre and Rubio, to make the deal work.
The many benefits of these trades for the OKC Thunder
Vintage Point God shot.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 1, 2020
Chris Paul getting it done in the clutch. pic.twitter.com/W16eviCtl7
The other gem in this deal is that Presti was able to include a team option in order to get the 23-year-old Jerome and the 20-year-old Lecque. Rubio was used with picks 26 and 28 to land James Johnson and the 17th pick where 18-year-old Aleksej Pokusevski was selected.
There were rumors around that Presti was not going to exercise the team option of Abdel Nader. So instead of having to decline the option, he got back two potential future pieces. The flipping of Rubio gave them the third potential piece whose upside is the highest in the draft.
Presti then made another draft-night trade, details are to follow from the Thunder. The Wizards got the 53rd pick and the OKC Thunder got back Vit Krejci at the 37th pick. He is rehabbing an ACL so will not play next season.
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He is giving these five players enough time to show that they belong in this league. However, this is not the full benefit of the trade either. In trading Paul, the Thunder took a millstone contract off their books and replaced it with multiple manageable ones.
Al Horford is the most interesting one here. He will play for the Thunder next season given he’s contracted on a $27.5 million deal. He then has two years left on his deal, worth similar money. The difference is that his final year is not guaranteed and this makes him a valuable trade piece next year.
If the Thunder did nothing else this offseason, they would have a full roster. They will be well above the salary floor. They can play for the best draft pick possible in the 2021 draft. The tank would well and truly be on. They can also afford to wait for the right deal to come along for Danilo Gallinari in a sign and trade.
However, it is next season where the Thunder are going to benefit the most. If they make no more moves then they only have $44 – $50 million on their books, compared to $75 -$80 million. They will have the ability to sign multiple players the year after most other teams will have lost their cap space.
Most teams are looking to try and have the space to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo in the next offseason, assuming he does not sign his extension prior to December 21. As such, the teams who do not get Antetokounmpo will be looking to load up on talent and will be offering multiple-year deals.
The Thunder will probably have two top-ten picks in 2021 as they will get the two most favorable picks of their own, the Heat and the Rockets (top 4 protected). This is going to make them a tremendous destination for any disgruntled star.