OKC Thunder: 2 Al Horford deadline deals to consider

Horford heads to Dallas, Indiana gets a solid scorer, OKC gets a few picks

The OKC Thunder are a team with their sights set on the future. When in the midst of a rebuilding phase, draft picks are assets that a franchise can seemingly never get tired of — even one with as many as Oklahoma City.

With this deal, we see yet another slew of picks heading to the Sooner State along with the expiring contract of James Johnson.

The Dallas Mavericks get some much needed big man help in Al Horford who, according to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, could be a nice addition to this struggling yet high-hoping franchise whilst running alongside Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt:

"His tough go in Philadelphia last season had more to do with fit than anything. He’s currently averaging 14.2 points and 3.6 assists while finding nylon on 36.4 percent of his threes. His defensive mobility isn’t what it was two years ago, but he can still cover real ground. Opponents are reaching the rim significantly less often when he’s on the floor."

"Running out two bigs in the frontcourt is seldom workable. Horford knows this all too well after last season in Philly. But Porzingis isn’t Joel Embiid. He is almost exclusively a pick-and-pop option. Dallas doesn’t need to worry about them occupying the same space as often and can still play five-out when they’re both in the game. Staggering them guarantees Dallas will never have a below-average 5 on the court."

They also see themselves bringing on the likes of Jeremy Lamb and Doug McDermott, two tertiary options on offense who would serve as quality catch-and-shoot assets with Luka Doncic running the show in Dallas (both shoot at an effective field goal percentage 65.5 percent and 53.5 percent, respectively).

As for Indiana, they get a much-needed creative scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr. to add to their pedestrian 18th rated offensive unit.

In the final year of his once perceived as “albatross” contract, the wing is posting impressive per-game numbers of 16.2 points and 3.1 rebounds on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from deep and, in turn, has turned the narrative of his salary on its head.

Currently in the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are looking to extend their playoff streak to seven seasons and have a real shot of doing so if they can bolster their offensive prowess.

Adding a shot creator like Hardaway to the rotation would only help improve their chances of achieving said goal and, with the return of Caris LeVert looking to be on the horizon, having this pair of talented ballers in the rotation could make them a serious threat come crunch time of the season.