Why Oklahoma City Thunder Should Revisit a Potential Iman Shumpert Trade
The Oklahoma City Thunder will need to do whatever it takes to nab a playoff spot in the Western Conference. That's why the team should look to improve the roster by reigniting its interest in New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert.
The Thunder explored the possibility of acquiring Shumpert at last season's trade deadline, according to ESPN New York's Ian Begley. Those talks eventually fell apart, with a sprained MCL in Shumpert's knee further complicating matters.
This season, the 24-year-old—now healthy and showing no signs of injury issues—has excelled playing in Derek Fisher's triangle offense for the first time. He's averaging 10.2 points per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from behind the arc.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder are watching the sands in their playoff hourglass slowly dwindle. The team is 5-13 with 64 games left to go. They sit five-and-a-half games back behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed.
Last season, 49 wins was good enough for the Dallas Mavericks to nab the final playoff spot in the West. To reach that threshold, OKC will have to go no worse than 44-20 the rest of the way. The return of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will help towards that goal.
The addition of Shumpert would give them a boost as well. The team doesn't have a shooting guard that can be a factor on offense and defense like Shump can. His mid-range game would be a nice wrinkle to an already explosive offense, and you can never have too many stoppers on the perimeter.
The Trade
To acquire Shumpert, the Thunder could send dynamic sixth man Reggie Jackson to the Knicks. Financially, it works out, with Shumpert making a little over $400K more than Jackson. It's also a deal that would make the most sense for everyone involved. Both Shumpert and Jackson will be restricted free agents this summer.
Jackson is having the best season of his career. He's averaging 19.3 points and 7.3 assists (both career highs), playing mostly in relief of the injured Westbrook. He wants to be a starter, but that's unlikely to happen in Oklahoma City.
As for Shumpert, his increased production hasn't helped the Knicks where it matters most: the win column. New York is 4-16, and the fear is that the constant losing will take its toll on the team's psyche, per Begley.
"'We’ve lost so many games that guys are just thinking down the stretch or just hesitant to do certain things,' Shumpert said. 'Once you lose a few games like that, sometimes you get in your mind that you’re playing not to lose instead of just playing to win.'
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The downside to this trade is two-fold. First, the addition of Shumpert would give the Thunder four shooting guards, which causes a logjam for minutes. Shumpert and Anthony Morrow could split time at the 2, with Andre Roberson serving as a defensive specialist and primary backup to Durant at small forward.
The odd man out would be Jeremy Lamb, a talented player that has struggled with consistency throughout his career. Even with Lamb playing well as of late (averaging 16.3 points in his last three games), his minutes have fluctuated on a game-to-game basis ever since the club returned to full strength.
Second, trading Jackson leaves OKC without a backup point guard. Ish Smith, while not the player that R-Jax is, could be serviceable playing behind Westbrook. Shumpert could even run point at times, which would open up minutes for the team's other guards.
Despite the potential potholes, a change of scenery would do both Shumpert and Jackson some good. Jackson would be able to audition his skills in a larger market on a team where there's less competition for touches. Plus, the Boston College product would be an upgrade over the Knicks' three-headed monster of Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni and Shane Larkin.
Meanwhile, Shumpert could bring his talents to a Thunder team that has a legitimate shot at a championship.
What Shumpert Offers OKC
Traditionally, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has preferred to pair Westbrook with a defensive-minded backcourt mate. Thabo Sefolosha was that guy for many years before the torch was passed to Andre Roberson this season.
To his credit, Roberson has been a fine perimeter defender this season. He's averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per 36 minutes while holding opponents to 42.6 percent shooting (per 82games.com). However, for all of his defensive chops, the Colorado product doesn't offer much on the offensive end.
The 23-year-old is averaging 4.3 points per game and shooting 41 percent from the field, including a putrid 6.7 percent from behind the arc. No, that's not a typo. The team's other options, Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Morrow, can both score, but neither is as sound defensively as Roberson.
In Iman Shumpert, Brooks would get the best of both worlds. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions. Offensively, he excels in catch-and-shoot situations. According to NBA.com, he opts to catch and shoot 39.3 percent of the time and has an effective field-goal percentage of 52.8 percent on those plays.
The Thunder have a player with a similar preference in Morrow. Per NBA.com, 57.9 percent of the veteran marksman's shot attempts come off the catch-and-shoot, and he has converted a ridiculous 61.3 percent of those shots this season.
Just imagine these two playing alongside Durant and Westbrook. Morrow (40.4 percent from three this year) and Durant (37.5 percent) are great shooters in their own right. Now the Thunder would have another threat on the perimeter. It would give opposing defenses nightmares.
Shumpert would also benefit from Oklahoma City's bevy of weapons. Unlike in New York, where defenses mainly focus on stopping Carmelo Anthony, the Thunder have a dangerous trio in Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. With so much attention paid to those three, Shumpert will have an easier time finding his spots.
This shot chart, courtesy of Vorped.com, gives an idea of where Shumpert is at his best on the floor.
The Georgia Tech product has a sneaky mid-range jumper. According to Basketball-Reference.com, he's shooting 38.5 percent from 10-16 feet and 43.8 percent from 16 feet to just before the three-point line. In short, the Thunder would be adding another scoring option without losing anything on the defensive end.
The team could also maximize its defensive potential by playing Shumpert and Roberson together. A balanced lineup of Ibaka, Durant, Roberson, Shumpert and Westbrook would put the team's best defenders and its two best scorers on the floor at the same time.
After years of having just one defensive-minded guard on the floor, Brooks would now have two. Shumpert and Roberson could lock down the perimeter. Ibaka could patrol the paint, and the league's best one-two punch can focus on lighting up the scoreboard.
In essence, Shumpert is all three of OKC's shooting guards wrapped into one. He defends like Roberson, shoots like Morrow and has Lamb's physical tools. The upside is that he's a better scorer than Roberson, more athletic than Morrow and a better defender than Lamb.
If he can stay healthy (last season's 74 appearances were a career high), he'd be an ideal fit at the 2 for the Thunder.
For all of their talent and potential, the Oklahoma City Thunder's championship window won't stay open forever. Kevin Durant will be a free agent after next season, and part of this year has already been compromised by a slew of injuries.
Year after year, the team has built for the future. It's time to focus on the present.
The first step would be bringing in Shumpert, a two-way guard that would solidify the club's biggest area of need. It's the kind of move that will help Oklahoma City in the short term, while also proving to KD that the Thunder are willing to be aggressive in their pursuit of a title.
The team can't afford to stay idle like in past seasons. It's a calculated risk, but more is lost by indecision than a bad decision.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are current as of Dec. 4 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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