OUBRE, GREEN, and DRAFT CHOICES GIVE PRESTI ADDITIONAL ASSETS FOR REBUILD……
Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti is on his “A” game in this middle of November as the team is now officially in a rebuild for the future. The trade of Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns and Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers have given the Thunder a strong position to make good on excellence that could include an NBA championship in the next five years and beyond. The fact that Presti and OKC basically own the “futures” of the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers give the team on Reno Street the strongest position of any franchise for the future in the Association.
From the Oklahoman:
The Thunder owns 16 first-round draft picks through 2026, including two (No. 25 and No. 28) in Wednesday’s NBA draft.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has traded 10-time All-Star Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday. In return, the Thunder is reportedly receiving Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round draft pick. Thunder wing Abdel Nader, who averaged 6.3 points per game last season, is also headed to the Suns.
The Phoenix draft pick, which might be the most valuable asset in the deal, is protected 1-12 in 2022, 1-10 in 2023, 1-8 in 2024 and unprotected in 2025, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
With Dennis Schroder’s move to the LAL, OKC gets another first round pick plus Danny Green. Another steal for Presti. As noted, Schroder would be in his last year of his current contract and getting assists for him was important for Presti.
The future looks bright for OKC. Given time the Thunder will be in the hunt for it’s first NBA title.
Feature Photo: Kelly Oubre (Arizona Sports)
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