Yeah, that's a weird one to me. Guessing they didn't want to pay him after this season, but you'd think they could have gotten a slightly better return for him than what's likely going to end up being two second-round picks.
Yeah, that's a weird one to me. Guessing they didn't want to pay him after this season, but you'd think they could have gotten a slightly better return for him than what's likely going to end up being two second-round picks.
I’m not really understanding the Poirer signing. He seems like a total scrub with limited to no upside, other than the fact that he’ll help us lose a ton of games.
I think you answered your own question.
If you're scratching your head about Thunder moves (whether this one or the Oubre trade), reminder yourself: The Thunder want to lose this season. They want their pick to be a top 5 pick in a great draft. They want to give their minutes to their young developmental guys.
Because very few teams have cap space. So, the Thunder can sign and trade and those teams can then trade back a player (and their salary) and an asset. It benefits the Thunder and the other team.
Adams traded to the Pelicans for future first round pick and second round picks
With all of the changes going on with the Thunder, does Rumble still have a job or has he been replaced with a yak?
I am pretty sad to see Adams go. I recall when I still worked at Harkins one time I was approached by a tall fellow with an accent and several other member of seemingly his family nearby (all tall and sporting some kind of Thunder gear). We had a brief conversation about movie theatres and mine in particular and then he and his family headed out or into their movie, whichever.
Being only a casual fan, I didn't and don't pay a ton of attention to off-season stuff other than "its happening". After my conversation with the tall accented fellow I walked over to a colleague who was much more sport knowledgeable and asked him if we had drafted any Australians. His response was, "Uh, no, but we did get a guy from New Zealand, Steven Adams."
Its dumb, but since that tiny, inconsequential conversation (that he no doubt has no recollection of) I held an odd affection for Steven Adams. It was fun to see him stay with us for so long and watch him develop this known personality and stick around even after other long-running Thunder players had left or been traded.
A couple more trades and the Thunder will own the entire draft!
As crazy as it is, the Thunder still seem to have quite a few moves to make. They're not that bad right now and I believe they want to lose this season to guarantee a high draft pick in next year's draft. They may be the worst team in the West, but not by much. I suspect the Thunder would like to move Trevor Ariza, George Hill, and Al Horford when they can get any type of asset.
Also, I'm really looking forward to watching our draft pick, Aleksej Pokusevski (a.k.a. Poku) play. He's the youngest player in the draft. I suspect he'll play for both the Blue and the Thunder throughout the season. For a 7 footer, he really moves and plays more like a guard. In other words, he moves a lot like KD. He won't be near as good as KD, but his skill set should translate well to the NBA as he matures. Really the biggest question about him is how much weight can he add. He's just so skinny right now. Should be fun to see him develop.
I wouldn't be surprised if they keep Horford around, his contract is so bad that they'd probably have to give up a pick to ship him off somewhere else right now. My guess is they're hoping he will have a bounce-back season like CP3 did last year and then they can get some assets for him at the trade deadline or next offseason.
I do think they will trade Ariza and Hill ASAP.
That's exactly right. Presti won't give up assets to move Horford, but they'll try to rehab his value, encourage him to seek out interested teams, and take any deal that's even just dumping him. In the meantime, he should be a good vet in the lockerroom. That could be a day, month, or year.
I was looking at the Thunder's picks and they keep their own picks if they miss the playoffs the next two years. I'd say you can count on that happening.
Guys, my advanced intellect had led me to the realization of what Sam Presti is doing next: He is gonna use the league record, $27 million trade exception and bring in Blake Griffin! This will allow the 18 win team to still draw eyeballs and attendance with a hometown hero.
That's the beauty of it! We aren't trying to win for a year or two, so this let's us have our "Home Grown All-Star", while he sits on the bench and cheers the team, and we blame Satan for the injuries. We continue to think we would be a sleeper for number 8 in the west if Blake weren't injured and keep hoping for his return. All the while , we keep on knocking out 18 wins and keep our eyes out to make sure we do our part to keep the "Lottery Protected" picks and swaps turned to our advantage.
It won't happen, but if it were to happen, here's how:
Thunder get: Blake Griffin ($37, $39 million next 2 years), 1st round pick
Pistons get: Al Horford ($27.5 next 2 years and partial guarantee on 3rd year), George Hill ($10 million next 2 years)
Then either Blake is injured and the Thunder lose as they want or he's good and they can trade him for more assets. The problem is that I don't know why the Pistons (who are overloaded at center) would do this. It maybe gets them in the play-in, but not the playoffs.
It is tough for me to get into the NBA because the rosters rotate too frequently and we have a general idea of who will win the championship before the season even starts.
But Sam Presti is the man we need during the Covid crisis and in 2021's NBA. It is the best time to rebuild. With no fans in stands, LeBron still recruiting super teams, may as well keep the payroll low and look for a brighter future.
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