Tag: Delon Wright

3 backup guards that make sense for Thunder at trade deadline

3 backup guards that make sense for Thunder at the trade deadline.

Sitting at 27-11 and tied for first place in the Western Conference standings, the Oklahoma City Thunder approach the Feb. 8 trade deadline as buyers for the first time in several years.

The Thunder have broken open a contention window led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams round out one of the league’s best trios.

While OKC is not expected to make any blockbuster deals, expect it to possibly make minor upgrades to improve its depth heading into its first playoff appearance since 2020.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti can strengthen the backup guard spots. Vasilije Micic has found a bit of a groove recently, but there is always a need for playmakers.

That is not necessarily an urgent need. The Thunder roll deep in guard depth with Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace manning the top five spots. The emergence of Williams as a playmaker also makes it less of a need.

However, contenders can never have too much guard depth. If the deal makes sense, OKC can make improvements on the margins.

The Thunder have plenty of draft capital and young prospects to facilitate any type of deal. Scouring through the league, let’s look at three bench guard options OKC could add.

3-and-D point guard labeled potential Bulls trade target

As the Chicago Bulls look to improve their roster, this 3-and-D point guard could be a potential trade target this offseason.

If the Chicago Bulls hope to propel themselves back into the world of relevancy, which seems to be their goal, they will need to make some big-time changes this summer. Arturas Karnisovas seems determined to bring the same core back and compete for the playoffs, but that won’t be good enough.

Rolling out Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic is fine, but that’s not enough to guarantee a playoff spot, as we saw this past year. Karnisovas needs to put winning pieces around them, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Washington Wizards guard Delon Wright could work as a trade target.

Buckley penned an article discussing potential Bulls trade targets on draft day, and he suggested Wright as a formidable option.

“Delon Wright has just about everything other than shooting in his arsenal,” Buckley wrote. “He’s a versatile defender and downhill attacker with more than three times as many assists (3.1 per game) as turnovers (1.0) in his career. He’s becoming slightly more viable from distance, too, averaging 0.8 triples on 36.6 percent shooting the past two seasons.

The 31-year-old might be obtainable, too. The Washington Wizards have overhauled their front office and might finally be ready to embrace a rebuilding project that’s felt inevitable for a few years now.”

Wright is a quality defender and could slot in nicely as the Bulls starting point guard alongside LaVine and DeRozan.

His lack of a jump shot isn’t ideal, especially considering Chicago’s abysmal three-point shooting numbers, but he would still be a solid veteran to have on the roster.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

5 realistic free agents Sixers should take a look at in 2022 offseason

Here are 5 free agents the Philadelphia 76ers should take a look at as they get into the 2022 offseason.

As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the draft and free agency portion of the offseason, there are some issues that have to be addressed with the roster. One is the lack of a “dawg” on the roster, which is something Joel Embiid wants addressed while the Sixers also need a 3-and-D player.

At the moment, the Sixers have the $6.4 million taxpayer mid-level exception to use, but they could open the full $10.3 million mid-level exception if they waive Danny Green, who will miss a good portion of the 2022-23 season.

Now, Philadelphia could clear more salary by dumping Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle and Georges Niang. That would allow them to go after the bigger fish in the free agency pond, but they haven’t done so yet. So this list will be operating under the above parameters.

Here are five free agents who would fit the Sixers’ needs:

Hawks season preview: Could Trae Young lead them to win the East?

The Atlanta Hawks have the main ingredient required for breakout success in the NBA and that’s a bona fide star on the rise: Trae Young.

The Atlanta Hawks have the main ingredient required for breakout success in the NBA and that’s a bona fide star on the rise: Trae Young.

Aside from Young, the Hawks are loaded with talent and now have the added confidence of defeating the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason. However, do they have what it takes to get over the hump and actually make it to the NBA Finals?

Below, check out our preview for the 2021-22 Suns campaign.

Point guard is not area of need for Sixers ahead of trade deadline

Point guard is not necessarily an area of need for the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the deadline.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference and they will no doubt be involved before the March 25 trade deadline looking to improve the team. One area on the team that could use an upgrade is the bench unit who has struggled recently without the injured Shake Milton.

There has been interest from the team in trading for Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica who is a guy who would bring a stretch 4 aspect to the team. He is a proven player and he fills a specific bench need for the team.

As the trade deadline approaches, there will be plenty of rumors and reports, and that means it’s time to evaluate them all.

On Monday, the latest rumor is the Sixers have interest in trading for Detroit Pistons guard Delon Wright or Oklahoma City Thunder guard George Hill. They are both very solid players at the point guard position and they would be nice fits playing behind star Ben Simmons, but point guard is not an area of need on this team right now.

The Sixers still have Milton as well as promising rookie Tyrese Maxey who will both play important roles on this team. Milton is averaging 14.0 points and he provides both scoring and playmaking off the bench. Once he returns from his injury, the team’s bench unit will be able to be full again and will be able to produce at a high level as they were before.

As for Maxey, he has shown flashes as a 20-year old averaging 8.7 points and shooting 45.5% while still developing and he looks like he will have a bright future in Philadelphia. When the team was severely shorthanded due to the health and safety protocols, he stepped in and provided some really good play under some tough circumstances and there is no real reason to stunt his growth at the moment.

The only reasons to trade for Wright or Hill would be if they believe Milton will be out for an extended period of time and if they don’t believe Maxey can seriously help come playoff time. Then, a move for a guy like Hill who has experience going deep into the playoffs or Wright who can be productive off the bench like Milton has been would make some sense. Other than that, there is not much sense for team president Daryl Morey to go after a point guard at this point in time and give up assets.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=zdoUhFOFDW-1155949-7498&autoplay=on&V=2&format=json

[lawrence-related id=42480,42475,42464]

With Davis’ status in doubt, Lakers will need Kyle Kuzma at Mavs

The Los Angeles Lakers will likely have LeBron James but the status of his co-star Anthony Davis is in doubt, bringing Kuzma into focus.

For over two weeks, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been the subject of trade speculation given the fact they will not trade LeBron James or Anthony Davis anytime soon. Kuzma, among all of the pieces on the Lakers, is the youngest and most attractive asset to another team.

The most enticing name linked to Kuzma was Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic but that still remains to be a mystery as well. The only thing the Lakers can count on for sure between now and then is that they will play a back-to-back against two playoff-projected squads in Dallas and Oklahoma City. And with Dallas we will begin, specifically their engine Luka Doncic. Meanwhile, the Lakers may not even have to miss a game with Anthony Davis as his status for Friday remains up in the air.

LeBron James just passed Doncic in the All-Star voting but James is definitely doing more in a smaller usage rate. Doncic is currently posting a 37% usage rate, a mark higher than LeBron has ever had by nearly four percentage points.

Doncic will be the key for the Lakers defense, whether they have Anthony Davis or not. Avery Bradley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green will likely be the ones who will face him on Friday on the ball.

With Davis still nursing his injury, whether he plays or not, the Lakers will need Kuzma to deliver some strong play to knock off a couple of teams primed to make the postseason in the West.

[lawrence-related id=24732,24714]