OKC Thunder: 3 players most impacted by Kemba Walker trade

The OKC Thunder have just taken part in the first offseason blockbuster of 2021, as it was announced Friday that Sam Presti and co. had struck a deal with the Boston Celtics that would send Al Horford and Moses Brown to Beantown in exchange for Kemba Walker and draft capital.

Now, though some may view this as a rather shocking move, we at TI have been pounding the proverbial drum for a Kemba deal for a few months now, stating that he could be a potential fallen-star option for Oklahoma City to give the CP3 treatment to.

Coming in with rock-bottom market value, the move was mainly a way for the Cs to let out some air from their over-inflated salary cap situation while, for the OKC Thunder, it was a way for them to simply bring on more draft capital.

That said, aside from this, the trade for Walker does have the potential to have some serious effects on a few members of OKC.

Today, we discuss 3 players that are directly impacted by this move:

OKC Thunder player No. 1) Isaiah Roby

Before the Moses Brown show began in late March and before he sustained a toe injury that sidelined him for a few games, Isaiah Roby was proving to be yet another hidden gem of a role player for the OKC Thunder in 2020-21.

Getting consistent minutes in the frontcourt up until his ailment, the second-year big was posting solid averages of 8.6 points, 4.7 boards, and just shy of a block on 54 percent shooting from the field.

Showcasing an impressive combination of defensive versatility and strength, Roby proved to be a solid contributor on both ends of the ball with the ability to play both the four as well as a small-ball five.

However, with the emergence of Brown and, obviously, the presence of Horford for the first half of the season, minutes were somewhat sporadic for the 23-year-old.

Now, with both gone, the big comes into his second season with the franchise unchallenged for consistent minutes and perhaps even a starting gig right from the get-go.