Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Trades They Need to Make This Offseason

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a good team but not a championship team. They need to make a few more moves to become true NBA contenders. 

With very little available on the free-agent market, they’ll have to make those moves through trades.

Here are five trades the Thunder need to make before next season begins.

Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins for Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard

This is one of those trades that fans only dream about, but it would be beneficial for both the Thunder and Magic.

It would give the Thunder a dominant big man and talented point guard to surround their superstar, Kevin Durant.

It would allow the Magic a chance to avoid getting nothing for Dwight Howard and give them a solid chance at remaining one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

Nate Robinson and Nazr Mohammed for Andrei Kirilenko

Kevin Durant needs a backup as the Thunder have no one to play his position during the little time that he’s on the bench.

Kirilenko would provide that stability at the small forward position, while Robinson and Mohammed would give the Jazz some veteran players to help bolster their sinking roster.

Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul

Another fan’s trade dream, this trade would allow both the Thunder and the Hornets to continue being good teams in the Western Conference.

However, while it would keep New Orleans as a good team, it would propel the Thunder to championship contender status (and possibly, favorite status).

The Hornets probably would want more than just Westbrook for Paul, but either way, the teams need to at least take a look at this potential deal.

Nate Robinson for (insert Name Here)

The truth is this: Nate Robinson has no real place on this Thunder roster.

He will never play significant minutes for the team and will now play even less since the Thunder drafted Reggie Jackson.

They need to get what they can for him now before he is of no value at all.

Nate Robinson, Thabo Sefolosha & Kendrick Perkins for Lamar Odom & Andrew Bynum

First of all, just let me iterate that the Lakers would be very unlikely to agree to this trade. Now, let me tell you why it would be good for both teams.

The Thunder would get the best bench player in the NBA to back up and play alongside Kevin Durant, plus a young big man with tremendous upside who would probably benefit from a change of scenery.

The Lakers would get an offensive sparkplug in Nate Robinson who could help a Laker offense that looked troubled, at best, at times last season.

They’d also get Mr. Laker-Killer himself Kendrick Perkins on their side and Thabo Sefolosha, one of the best perimeter defenders in the game. Both would help the new-look Lakers under Mike Brown, whose focus will be on defense over offense.