Is OKC Cooking Up A Blockbuster Trade For Next Year?
OKC has 21 million in expiring contracts this year, and are set to pay about 51mil in salary this year. Meaning they should still be under the cap next year even when they sign Durant to max contract and give Green the 8-9 mil he's due. So i don't think they'd be trading him just to save cap room. Hopefully with Aldrich, Ibaka and perhaps Mullens developing they won't need to resign Collison or Kristic after this year and they can secure a solid young frontt court for cheap.
if okc is serious about being a contender they will make a deal for a legit power forward to start. but their gm will be patient and get a steal at some point in time. i dont think al jefferson is the right guy for that team, i think they need a more skilled bigman at the 4 but still be a legit bigman because jeff green is not a 4.
He is a TERRIBLE fit for the Thunder. He isn't a runner and the thunder need a big man that can run the floor and play in the paint like a Joakim Noah, a Blake Griffen, or an Al horford ( although none of them we be available for OKC w/o losing somebody significant) I really like Luis Scola's game and he seems affordable and he's a glue guy (according to nba.com) lol. Also David Lee and the rumored trade of Troy Murphy last year would still be nice
i agree with you jerb, al jefferson kills offensive flow because he operates methodically and slowly and hes more of a center then people realize...he isnt good in transition and wouldnt benefit from playing in a full-court offense
imagine al jefferson on the warriors, theyd be on a fast break every play and hed never get set up on O
I think brendan haywood would be the best for them. He is relatively young and he can get up and down somewhat and really okc doesnt need more than durant westbrook and maybe cook or peterson to run a successful fastbreak. Haywood is a handful in the paint defensively and offensively he can finish and set screens which is all they need. He'd give them a much better chance against a team like the lakers than al jefferson because big al plays no defense and also doesnt make his team better. Last year and the year before he's been a 20-10 guy and they haven't won more than 15 games, that lets you know he has tunnel vision. Theres no way you should have a big on your team with those numbers and you are one of the very worst teams in the league. Then maybe a couple years down the line they could play daniel orton alongside haywood and just physically punish teams and be able to match the height of a team like the lakers and still have enough offensive firepower with durant and westbrook and have cook, harden, maynor off the bench to get you points as well. Okc will not ever be in contention until they get a defensive minded banger, drafting tall euro guys isnt going to get it done, and relying on nenad krstic isnt going to work either
Yea, I was thinking about how sneaky OKC was on draft day..... and I was thinking that maybe they are gonna make a run at Melo. I don't see why he and Durant cannot coexist and before you say no way..... Presti is slick and he is slowly putting together the best young core of talent in the league.
Or, they could get go after Ming, but I doubt they will with his age and health. Maybe they are setting it up to bring in a Noah, Marc Gasol, Oden, Przybilla, Perkins, or Dalembert. They have some options of 5s to pick up in 2011.
I just want them to trade up to get Kanter. I hope the Clippers blow it next year to give OKC more leverage.
Am I the only person that thinks they should take a stab at Shaq?? I mean sign him to a 1 year deal and let him be the starting C.. He is seasoned and at times, is unstoppable... He could teach those young guys a thing or 2 about winning.. Also, they have a legit shot at being the number 2 seed right behind LA... Shaq would love to bump Kobe out of the playoffs and go win him a ring...
if fastdan is right about OKC's cap situation, and w/ the clippers' reliablity in having lottery picks, they could possibly get a top PF in next years draft and trade their pick, if they have no needs, for a future first rounder in the 2012 draft, thus, giving them 2 first rounders meaning more trade bait. Sounds Sam Presti-esque don't you think lol?
Wow, sign shaq....... why not? Have him beat the crap out of BJ "I am gonna change my name to Shaq is scary" Mullens, and Serge Ibakaaaaaa everyday.
I mean, this whole Shaq as a mentor for 1 year per team is a sweet idea. OKC better do it before Portland does. OKC will not win it next year, but why not teach the young guys some shaqness from the shaqenal.
After next year, trade up and get Kanter.
from what i heard in the media OKC´s approach is not really making big trades and FA signings. which to me is a mistake. i think normally you need to draft some good guy´s which OKC did but then i think you have to look at adding other pieces via trade or FA to get on the next level.
OKC should make a big move or go after a big FA but i don´t really feel that they will do it....
Did you guys already forget that they drafted Aldrich last week? He's the perfect fit for them at the 5. I have no idea why they would go after washups like Haywood or Shaq and stunt Cole and Ibaka's growth. They need to play, not ride the bench!
OKC needs a PF that can guard 4s, spread the floor and be not take the ball out of Durant and Westbrook's hands. Unfortunately, I don't think there's many guys in the league who fit that profile...at least Green does two out of those 3 things!
Also, Mo pete and Cook won't be seeing anything more then garbage time this year, so they should be left out of the conversation.
david lee would be perfect fit for OKC
he is very unselfish and doesnt need the ball to score he can hit the mid range J his an excellent rebounded can run the floor and his D has never really been show cased because hes a pf playing center hes an allstar and i think would be perfetc fit i would love to see lee go to a winning team as a knicks fan
They need a legit PF, too bad they wasted their cap space or else could've signed David Lee.
Shaq in Okc or Portland not likely, he'll only play for an elite team I think.
I think he should sign in San Antonio or Dallas.
Blazers have Camby, Prizz and Oden or did Prizz opt out?
I wouldn't knock the whole al jefferson idea...sure he's not a running big but the man has skills, put up numbers, and is obviously effective
you don't need a 4 or 5 man to run on the fastbreak all the time...he'd probably be the outlet and everyone else would run and get easy buckets
lee would probably be a more ideal fit...that's a scary though(lee+the thunder) but i wouldn't knock the al idea
the shaq option is probably the thing they're least looking for...they want young talent that can grow together
yes he could probably teach them a few things, but i'm not sure that's what they're looking for
Przybilla to opt in
link
http://www.opensports.com/players/tb_player_card/e863a0fa-48d2-43b0-adb7...
i dont know if its true but yeah
Green doesn't have a bad contract. he is being paid around 4 million next year, then have him for more with a Qualifing offer. Sure his best role on OKC is Probably as a 6th man type. but for what he brings to the team he has a good contract.
OKC has to be careful with free agent pickups, because they don't have the budget of big teams, like the lakers or Mavs. If they Feel they have their two best guys for a championship already on their roster, then any free agents are really just cap fillers while they develop.
The draft is a great source of cheep talent. OKC will look to develop their young players, until it becomes time to pay them. then they will trade them for more picks. To keep costs down
Luis Scola and David Lee would fit in to what they're trying to do, but Luis Scola would be an AMAZING fit on that team. I would choose Luis because he would be more affordable over Lee. OKC really takes defense seriously and that is my reason why Luis would fit in better than Lee. Scola is a gritty player who hustles and plays with a lot of intensity. He is the guy that you would love to play with, but you would hate to play against because he gets under your skin. That is what sets him apart from David Lee. With that being said, both of these guys would be good set pieces for OKC.
True, but Jeff Green isn't some scrub either. If he was on any other team he would probably be putting up 20 and 8 a game. His second year in the league he was a 17-7 player with really high percentages, and can play more then one position. If I was the Thunder I'd hold onto him until my PF's come around, or if there is a trade that you can't pass up on. I don't see them making any trades espesialy since all the great players are just signing any new contracts, but they already have their two stars and starting 5 of the future.
A lot of people probably weren't paying close enough attention, but OKC was very active during draft week. They picked up Cole Aldrich as everyone knows, but they got a HUGE potential steal at 18 when they got a protected 1st round pick from the Clips which everyone who has commented on it agreed will be higher than 18. They also aquired some veterans in Daquan Cook and Morris Peterson. What's significant about that is they are both expiring contracts. David Aldridge of NBA TV said they probably will have to sacrifice Green if they want to keep their cap under control in 2011. It's well known that Green doesn't quite fit as a full-time PF and many teams wanted him when OKC was looking to make draft deals for the last couple weeks. I think OKC will try to get a big man close to the trading deadline next year. They would now have enough assets to get it done without trading Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden or Aldrich. I would hate to see Green go, but it may be necessary to get to the championship level before it's too late.