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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: TRADE GRADES

Trade Grades
Click here for link to Denver Nuggets Trade Grades

 
Thunder get: SG Randy Foye
Nuggets get: PF/SF Steve Novak, PG/SG D.J Augustin, two second-rounders

This one’s probably more about the money than anything else, as OKC will reportedly save $9.8 million in salary and luxury tax due to this trade. Either way, the players that the Thunder gave were of little value, as Novak was putting up just 2.4 points in 3.4 minutes in the 7 games he has played this season, while Augustin has averages of a mere 4.2 points in 15.3 minutes per game. Moreover, Augustin’s departure will make way for rookie PG Cameron Payne to be superstar PG/SG Russell Westbrook’s chief backup.

Foye will be of use to the Thunder, but it remains to be seen to what extent. Although OKC’s two best shooting guards are the unimpressive Dion Waiters-Andre Roberson duo, Foye is putting up career-lows in points (6.0) and minutes (19.8) this season. At 32, he’s clearly on the decline, so it’s a good thing his $3.1 million deal is expiring.

So while Foye I suppose is somewhat of a plus, and the savings are great as well, OKC lost two second-rounders here. Thus I can’t go too crazy with their grade.
 
Grade: B

Trade Grades

Click here for link to Boston Celtics Trade Grades


Celtics get: PF/SF Perry Jones, 2019 second-round pick from Detroit
Thunder get: Protected 2018 second-round pick, 2019 second-round pick (both from Boston)

Forget about the confusing swaps of future second-rounders. They matter little to nothing. Really, this trade is just a salary dump: the Thunder wanted to get rid of the $2 million that Jones is owed this season for financial reasons. And although the forward has been largely disappointing considering he was a first-rounder in 2012, he did put up 4.3 points per game this season and is just 23 years old. Jones still possesses some upside, and to say he’s not even worth $2 million is just flat-out wrong. Trading away SG Dion Waiters owed $5.1 million) or PF/C Nick Collison, or even PF/SF Steve Novak (both owed $3.75 million) would’ve made a lot more sense. I get that the Thunder needed to clear cap space after they give C Enes Kanter a big payday, but they dealt away the wrong guy.

Grade: C+

Trade Grades
Click here for link to Charlotte Hornets Trade Grade

Thunder get: PG/SG Luke ridnour, 2016 second-rounder
Hornets get: SG Jeremy Lamb

This one was all about shedding salary for Oklahoma City. Ridnour’s contract is fully non-guaranteed (which is why he is a part of this trade), while Lamb is owed $3 million that the Thunder just simply did not want to pay, and would rather put that money towards keeping around key role player like C Enes Kanter and SF/SG Kyle Singler in free agency. Lamb is still a former #12 pick and posses some upside, but was never really able to carve out a role for himself in Oklahoma City. The second-rounder could perhaps be a future trade asset for this championship-caliber team.

Luke Ridnour is no more than a back-end rotational piece, especially now that he’s 34 years old. He averaged just 4 points and 2 assists last season with the Magic, and shouldn’t be relied upon as a primary backup, and he won’t be in Oklahoma City. Ridnour can occasionally knock down a three, but will just be thrown onto a crowded Thunder backcourt that features plenty of guards already: Russell Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Anthony Morrow, D.J Augustin, and rookie Cameron Payne, to name a few. Ridnour was merely acquired due to his non-guaranteed contract for salary cap purposes.

Second-rounders are really the penny stock of the NBA, having little value and generally just being throw-ins on deals. Sure, occasionally you’ll find a solid rotational piece, or even a starter, or a once-in-a-decade Manu Ginobili floating in round #2, but generally the picks never really pan out. They have little actual value other than merely being General Manager’s currency. The only value this pick would really hold to a title contender like the Thunder would be via another trade, as they’re not interested in outside shots of properly developing long-term prospects, especially considering their current status.

Oklahoma City is officially waving the white flag on the deal that sent superstar SG James Harden to Houston, as Lamb was one of the last major parts of the package that the Thunder received in exchange for Harden. Picked 12th overall just three years ago, the Thunder were never able to carve out a role for the knockdown shooter, but that’s also partially on him. Lamb has been somewhat of a disappointment, as he averaged just 6.3 points per game and 0.8 threes on an average 34.2% shooting from downtown in just 13.5 minutes, and was injured for half the year. Perhaps most alarming is his lack of development, as he was slightly better across the board in 2014 than in this past season; this could cap his upside. This forced the Thunder to sell-low on the shooting guard, but opening up the cap space was necessary. Kanter and Singler are more important than Lamb and that’s who Oklahoma City should be spending their money on.Besides, their depth at shooting guard made the UCONN product fairly expendable anyways.

I do get the need for opening up the cap space, I really do. I also understand the lack of leverage that the Thunder must’ve had, as Ridnour was one of the very few fully non-guaranteed contracts that could even out Lamb’s money in a trade, not to mention how expendable Lamb was from OKC’s perspective. However, on the other side, Lamb presents an optimal fit in Charlotte, so it’s not like the Thunder were backed into a corner in negotiations. Lamb is still a former first-round pick that still presents upside and immediate three-point shooting, and simply getting cap relief plus a second-rounder in exchange makes me feel like the Thunder got an average deal at best.

Grade: B

Trade Grades

Thunder get: PG D.J Augustin, C Enes Kanter, SF/SG Kyle Singler, PF Steve Novak
Pistons get: PG Reggie Jackson
Jazz get: PF Grant Jerrett, C Kendrick Perkins, C Tibor Pleiss, Oklahoma City’s 2017 first-rounder

Jackson needed to be dealt, that much was obvious. The 24 year old was disgruntled as a backup, and that wasn’t going to change with superstar PG Russell Westbrook ahead of him on the depth chart. Despite teams knowing this, the Thunder got an impressive haul for the point guard. They gave up their first-rounder in 2017, yes, but that shouldn’t be of much value as long as superstar SF/PF Kevin Durant sticks around past 2016, and the other pieces involved in this deal are pretty much irrelevant. In return, the Thunder got Augustin, who will replace Jackson as the backup to Westbrook. Averaging 10.5 points, 5 assists, and 1 three per game, that shouldn’t be much of a downgrade. Singler will provide valuable floor-spacing, as the Duke product is knocking down 1.5 threes a game this season. Novak is also known for stretching the defense, as he is hitting 0.7 threes a game in just 5 minutes, which translates to a ridiculous 5 threes per 36 minutes. Kanter, while infamous for his poor defense, is still averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, and star PF/C Serge Ibaka can help alleviate some of Kanter’s mishaps on the less glamorous side of the ball. The Thunder got several key role players in this deal that could prove critical as they try to please Durant while simultaneously compete for a title.

Grade: A-
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