Oklahoma City Thunder's 2015 Trade Deadline Shopping List
The Oklahoma City Thunder front office has already made one sizable move, but another trade may be necessary to keep up with the Western Conference arms race.
OKC’s acquisition of Dion Waiters was a brilliant move in terms of asset management, but the pieces look a little mismatched on the court. With a number of teams acting as sellers on the trade market, there are a few players floating around that could be a better fit for the Thunder roster and help them gear up for a deep playoff run.
Before getting to the players who could potentially be brought in, it’s important to think critically about what OKC can really give up in a trade. There are three main pieces to throw into its trade proposals: Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins and Jeremy Lamb.
As Royce Young of ESPN.com explains, Jackson poses an interesting dilemma for the Thunder. Not only is he a restricted free agent this summer, but that impending free agency is becoming a distraction in the locker room, and he appears to be the odd man out after the Waiters trade.
In a vacuum (and given Waiters’ attitude issues in the past), Jackson is the better player. But Waiters brings shooting guard size and is one of the few two-way guards on the roster, while Jackson has emerged as a defensive sieve. Waiters is no Tony Allen on that end, but he’s a more natural fit between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant IF he can commit to competing on defense and picking his spots on offense (which is a big if).
Part of the problem with trading Jackson is his current salary. At a hair over $2 million, there’s no way the Thunder are going to get anything remotely close to equal value if they pursue a one-for-one trade. That’s where Kendrick Perkins and his $9 million expiring contract come into play. Pairing Perkins and Jackson in a trade makes it more likely for OKC to receive a quality role player in return who can contribute immediately.
Lastly, OKC seems to have given up on Jeremy Lamb as a long-term rotation piece. It's not going to give him away, but he may be an enticing part for a rebuilding team, and that’s why he could be involved in a Thunder trade. Now, onto the possible trade candidates that general manager Sam Presti could be interested in.
Brook Lopez: The Low-Post Scorer
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This is the least likely trade for three reasons. First, it would be the most transformative move on this list. Brook Lopez is the best player mentioned here, and he’d also induce the most change since OKC has never had a low-post offensive threat like him before. Furthermore, his hefty price tag (around $17 million) means that making salaries match would be a little challenging as well as very risky given his injury history.
But Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com (h/t James Herbert of CBS Sports) reported that the teams previously had talks involving Kendrick Perkins, Perry Jones and Lance Thomas for Lopez. Thomas is no longer here, but if OKC can get an All-Star-caliber center for Perkins, Jones and Jeremy Lamb or Reggie Jackson, that would be almost too good of a deal to pass up.
Lopez has his flaws, of course. He’s frequently injured, and his defense/rebounding leave a fair bit to be desired, but he’s one of the most offensively gifted big men in the game. He’d finally give the offense a player to dump the ball down to in the post, and Serge Ibaka would offset some of his defensive limitations.
It would be a major move, and ownership would have to sign off on paying the luxury tax, but Lopez’s salary would come off the books in the “Summer of Kevin Durant” and wouldn’t necessarily impede their plans to re-sign Durant. The Thunder have come up short in the past when making minor additions. Lopez could be the major acquisition they need to get them over the hump.
Jae Crowder: The Gritty Backup Small Forward
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Looking at the Thunder rotation, the weakest spot is at backup small forward. With Durant certain to spend some time at the 4, a reliable small forward off the bench would be nice, and Jae Crowder could be that guy.
He was traded to the Boston Celtics in the Rajon Rondo deal, and the Celtics have been unabashed in making their intentions clear: They’re tanking and looking for future assets. They’ve flipped Jeff Green and Brandan Wright to other teams for draft picks and cap relief, and Crowder could be next to go.
He’s not going to drastically alter the makeup of the team, but his defensive intensity and toughness could help get the defense back on track, and he’s a more reliable option than Perry Jones. Furthermore, Crowder has the strength to guard smaller 4s whenever OKC goes to its small-ball lineups, and that could spare Durant from some wear and tear.
Since he was recently acquired, Crowder can’t be traded again until Feb. 17, so OKC has time to look for better moves. If it can’t find one, however, Crowder could be an under-the-radar piece that ends up making a difference in the postseason.
C.J. Watson: The Cheaper Backup Point Guard
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If the Thunder do trade Reggie Jackson, they’ll need to get a solid backup point guard to replace him. One potential option is C.J. Watson from the Indiana Pacers. Watson has playoff experience and is a heady point guard off the bench. He’s not a fantastic scorer, but OKC doesn’t need that anyway.
Watson’s value comes from his versatility. He’s a scrappy defender, and he’s shown the ability to be a much better off-ball offensive player than Jackson. For his career, Watson is a 38 percent three-point shooter, and that skill set would mesh well with Waiters off the bench or with Westbrook in dual-point guard lineups.
The Pacers are one of the few teams that could be interested in dealing for Jackson since they could use an upgrade at point guard. After losing Lance Stephenson, their offense could do with an injection of ball-handling and playmaking.
Indiana may not want to trade for Jackson when it could just sign him outright this summer, but it could also value the chance to hold matching rights during his free agency, especially because the market may not be as hot for the Boston College product given his recent decline and the lack of many point guard-needy teams.
Wilson Chandler: The Better, More Versatile Backup Small Forward
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Jae Crowder would be a solid addition, but he likely wouldn’t move the needle too much for the Thunder in the playoffs. Wilson Chandler, on the other hand, would be a significant upgrade in the same role. The Denver Nuggets have been aggressively shopping Chandler, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (h/t Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk), and he’d be a great fit in OKC.
With a salary of around $7 million for the next two years (and a team option for next year), he’s an inexpensive luxury, and he could give the Thunder bench an extra jolt of energy and defense. He’s capable of checking the opponent’s best wing players, and he can also play as a small-ball 4 while guarding smaller power forwards.
Furthermore, he can contribute on the offensive end. Chandler is scoring 14 points per game this season and knocking down 35 percent of his treys. OKC needs as many two-way players as it can get, and Chandler could play a very important role for it in the playoffs, guarding the likes of James Harden, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard.
George Hill: The More Expensive Backup Point Guard
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His $8 million salary is a bit much, but I really like how George Hill would fit on the Thunder roster in place of Reggie Jackson. For starters, he is a proven defensive point guard with the length to trouble shooting guards as well. He would give OKC a very good option to harass the litany of elite point guards it would have to face in the playoffs (e.g. Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Tony Parker, Chris Paul).
Hill has struggled at times as the starting point guard for the Pacers because he’s not a very good playmaker, but on this Thunder team, he could pass off those duties to Durant, Westbrook and Waiters and thrive in a role as a defensive stopper and floor-spacer.
He’s long enough to even start at shooting guard in certain matchups (e.g. against Monta Ellis, Danny Green, Courtney Lee) and give head coach Scott Brooks some flexibility in choosing his playoff lineups.
He’s not as good as Jackson, but he’s a much cleaner fit for this roster, and his cap hit won’t look so bad whenever the salary cap rises to accommodate the new TV money. Hill would be a very nice backup combo guard to play alongside Waiters, and he’d give the Thunder another reliable two-way player in the backcourt.
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