[jwplayer 3cUKPx9U-z6KDnl0B]
It might have hurt Oklahoma City Thunder fans to have traded away Steven Adams, but to the unbiased observer, the team made out well in this deal for the long-time Thunder center.
Adams was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a four-way deal that netted Oklahoma City a handful of players that helped the other teams match salary and three draft picks, one of which is in the first round.
The full trade, using details of reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton:
Players: George Hill, Darius Miller, Josh Gray, Zylan Cheatham, Kenrich Williams, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Picks: 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick via Denver Nuggets, 2023 second-round pick via the Washington Wizards, 2024 second-round pick via the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (he appears to have the second-round teams flipped in the tweet).
ESPN and Sports Illustrated applauded the value Oklahoma City got in return.
Pelton gave the organization an “A” grade, saying they got draft picks without having to dive into long-term salary.
“Understandably a little concerned that the Pelicans might overtake them in their unofficial race to stockpile the NBA’s biggest cache of first-round picks, the Thunder managed to jump into this trade to add another — the lottery-protected pick from the Denver Nuggets starting in 2023 that New Orleans had added on draft night.”
He suggested that the Thunder may be able to add another young asset or draft pick because of Hill’s value and contract.
Hill should have trade value to a contender at a reasonable $9.6 million this season. Ordinarily, I’d suggest that might happen before the deadline. Given how quickly Oklahoma City has been moving this week, Hill might be traded by the time you read this sentence.
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated also gave the Thunder an “A” for the deal.
Though Adams is a good player, it’s tough to find a team who wants a center at that large of a contract when he won’t be a lead offensive creator.
“Realistically speaking, the market for a non All-Star center on a hefty expiring contract was never going to be especially hot, but the Thunder were never going to let him walk for nothing, and landing a real first-round pick (the Denver selection is only lottery-protected) and two seconds that could also have value is a pretty good return, considering the circumstances.”
[lawrence-related id=439226,439221]