It’s time to put up or shut up for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sunday, December 15 marks the start of when any player that signed a free-agent deal over the summer can finally be traded.
Since the Thunder have several players that fall into that category, it’s time for Sam Presti and company to decide if Oklahoma City is going to stay at the cusp of a postseason spot and hope they can play their way into the playoffs, or if OKC is going to go full rebuild, knowing that there’s a stable full of draft picks that can likely help in the future.
Oklahoma City has already let it be known that they are looking to trade Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams, as reports are out there that the Thunder “made them available”.
While the consensus around the league remains that Chris Paul’s contract may prevent him from being traded, Gallinari remains an intriguing option for many teams.
One team that Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes would benefit by trading for Gallinari is the Indiana Pacers.
Calling him “one of this season’s most intriguing trade candidates”, Bailey suggests that the Pacers should send Myles Turner to Oklahoma City for Gallinari as Indiana “might have a higher ceiling with (Domantas) Sabonis playing alongside a playmaking 4”.
Danilo Gallinari is averaging 18.3 points with a 62.4 true shooting percentage in only 30.4 minutes per game. There are only 11 players in NBA history who have at least 500 three-point attempts and match his career marks for points per 75 possessions (19.2) and true shooting percentage (59.0). He’s in the top 100 all-time in career offensive box plus/minus.
Although Turner has gotten off to a less than ideal start, Bailey argues that Turner’s age and contract are what makes him an intriguing prospect for the Thunder.
The Pacers center is off to a slow start this season, posting a career low in win shares per 48 minutes, but he’s only 23 years old. He’s also on a reasonable contract ($18 million per year) through 2023. There could be much worse starts to a reboot than a core of Turner and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
On its face, the deal makes sense for the Thunder. Gallinari is in the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Thunder could trade him now, and get a young player that fits their long-term timeline or wait and risk losing him after the season and getting nothing in return.