Dion Waiters Will Allow OKC Thunder to Explore Potential Reggie Jackson Trade
The Oklahoma City Thunder's acquisition of guard Dion Waiters could lead to the eventual exit of sixth man Reggie Jackson.
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder agreed to a three-way trade with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night to bring the mercurial 23-year-old to Oklahoma City. In the deal, the Cavaliers will receive guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert as well as a protected future first-round pick from OKC.
In the team's press release, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Waiters has been on their radar for quite some time.
"Dion Waiters is a player that we've tracked and liked since his time at Syracuse, in the NBA, and with USA Basketball. Dion provides another proven scorer that positively impacts our roster and adds depth and flexibility. We have a lot of respect for his toughness and competitiveness, and believe that he is a physical playmaker who will enhance the versatility of our team. We are excited to welcome Dion to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization.
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Meanwhile, the Knicks get forward Lance Thomas (from Oklahoma City), rookie center Alex Kirk, high-energy big man Lou Amundson and a 2019 second-round pick (the latter three coming from Cleveland). New York will also waive veteran center Samuel Dalembert.
Thomas will likely stay with the Knicks, but the team is expected to waive Kirk and Amundson, per Bleacher Report's Howard Beck. That, along with the dismissal of Dalembert, will free up three additional roster spots for New York. The combined moves will save the Knicks more than $20 million, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein.
Waiters was pulled prior to the Cavs' showdown Monday with the Philadelphia 76ers, his hometown team.
He averaged 23.8 minutes and 10.5 points in 33 games (three of which were starts) for Cleveland. He's also shooting 40.4 percent from the field while struggling to find any consistency from behind the arc (25.6 percent from three).
The former fourth-overall pick (2012) had been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. ESPN's Chris Broussard reported the Cavs were "actively shopping" Waiters last season after reported tension between Waiters and his teammates. The young guard bristled at the idea of coming off the bench during the offseason, and his tendency to play hero ball led to LeBron James publicly calling for the team to "be unselfish."
Waiters will make a little more than $4 million this season and is owed $5.1 million next season before hitting restricted free agency, per HoopsHype. His presence gives the Thunder a potential replacement should Jackson, a likely restricted free agent at season's end, get traded or bolt elsewhere during the offseason.
How Waiters Fits
If three's a crowd, it's hard to find a word that accurately describes the logjam Oklahoma City now has at shooting guard. With the addition of Waiters, the Thunder now have four guys at the 2 vying for minutes.
Andre Roberson is entrenched as the team's starter and backcourt defensive maven. Anthony Morrow is the three-point specialist (40.8 percent from downtown). Jeremy Lamb is a 22-year-old prospect who has occasionally shown flashes, but whose career has been hindered by inconsistency and a lack of confidence since Day 1. Already slipping out of the rotation, Lamb is likely glued to the bench now with Waiters in the fold.
According to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, Waiters is expected to play behind Roberson but still receive a bulk of the minutes at the 2-guard spot. Waiters will be tasked with breathing new life into a Thunder bench that doesn't have many scoring options beyond Jackson. Per HoopsStats.com, Oklahoma City's second unit averages 33.2 points per game, which is currently good for 17th in the NBA.
The arrival of Waiters excites Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, who likened his new teammate to former OKC sixth man and current Houston Rockets superstar James Harden, per Spears.
"I am not saying he's James' replacement because we're far past that. But he can play, he can come off the bench for us and score and make plays. He is a really good player. A lot of people take him for granted," Durant said. "I'm excited about Dion. I can't wait to have him. We are going to make him feel wanted."
With Waiters and Jackson together (for now), the "B" squad has a potentially explosive (albeit redundant) one-two punch. Jackson is in the midst of the best season of his career (15.3 points, 5.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds), and the presence of Waiters takes a bit of the load off the Boston College product's shoulders.
The downside to the duo playing together is that both need the ball in their hands to be effective, and neither is a particularly good outside shooter (both converting under 27 percent of their treys). However, like Jackson, Waiters is good at attacking the basket, converting 55.6 percent of his attempts at the rim.
Both players also have selfish tendencies. Jackson was famously frozen out by teammates Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka during his season debut against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
"Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins grew frustrated with Jackson by the third quarter. Both big men began freezing out their point guard, refusing to pass him the ball to lead the break following defensive rebounds."
Meanwhile, Waiters got a similar treatment from James during a Dec. 26 clash with the Orlando Magic.
Judging by Waiters' body language during this clip, he's probably glad to have a change in scenery... provided someone in Oklahoma City passes him the rock.
What This Means For Reggie Jackson
It's hard to imagine Jackson being thrilled with Waiters coming on board. Lest we forget, Jackson came into this season wanting to be a starter. That didn't happen. Even when he got to fill in for the injured Russell Westbrook, he wasn't satisfied with having the job on an interim basis, per Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
"When I said command a team, I didn't mean be a temporary starter or anything like that," Jackson said. "Just trying to play my role while I'm here."
Now Oklahoma City will be asking Jackson to share the backcourt with the guy who was brought in to potentially replace him. How excited would you be to share a workspace with your heir apparent?
With Waiters under the Thunder's control for next year, Oklahoma City has a bit of leverage in negotiations with Jackson this summer. Why would it break the bank to keep a reserve who wants to be a starter when it already has a younger player with similar talents who is still on his rookie contract?
Of course, the Thunder could avoid the hassle of negotiating with Jackson by dealing the 24-year-old before the Feb. 19 deadline. This way, Jackson could get his chance to start elsewhere, and Oklahoma City could avoid any potential conflict and fully commit to Waiters as its main man off the bench.
Jackson was initially reported to be involved in the Waiters trade, but later developments revealed he would be staying in Oklahoma City. Even with Jackson's impending free agency, there are still teams out there that could use a scoring point guard. The Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are just some of the teams that should be interested in Jackson's services.
The Thunder could dangle Jackson to find a scorer in the post or continue to add young talent they can groom to be contributors down the road. Utah forward Trevor Booker and point guard Trey Burke are a couple of intriguing names that could help Oklahoma City.
Another reason the team might be motivated to move Jackson sooner rather than later is the luxury tax. With the Waiters deal, the club finds itself above the threshold for the first time in franchise history, per Windhorst.
It's understandable to look at the Oklahoma City Thunder's trade for Dion Waiters and wait for the other shoe to drop. What does a team that is so thin up front need with four shooting guards? How will he and Reggie Jackson work together?
The move has the potential to help Oklahoma City in the short-term and long-term. This season, Waiters helps the team as both an immediate contributor off the bench, and long-term, his presence allows the Thunder to explore possible deals for their current sixth man in Jackson.
Going forward, Waiters could fill the void of Jackson's potential free-agent departure. He's also young enough to be groomed into a bigger role as the offensive yin to Andre Roberson's defensive yang at shooting guard.
For now, however, Jackson and Waiters will have to find a way to coexist.
The Waiters deal may not be a typical Thunder splash, but it puts an ace up the sleeve of a team with one of the best poker faces in basketball. If the Thunder are going to make a championship run as a lower seed (currently two-and-a-half games behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth spot), they'll need all of the talent they can get.
Note: All stats current as of Jan. 5 and are courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.
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