Implications Of Thunder’s Trade With Nuggets For JaMychal Green

For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti made the first splash of the offseason. On Monday morning with less than two weeks until the 2022 NBA Draft, he pulled the trigger on a deal that seemed simple at first, but could ultimately end up being a significant move longer term.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Oklahoma City sent out the No. 30 pick in this month’s draft along with a 2023 and 2024 second rounder for Nuggets’ forward JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round pick.

To facilitate this deal, Green is expected to opt into his $8.2 million salary for the 2022-2023 season. In terms of timing, this was the best window for Oklahoma City to take on salary, as the team will begin to operate over the cap at the start of the new league year.

The Thunder had $31.6 million in cap space to absorb Green’s contract, meaning theoretically they could take on more money in the coming weeks.

In doing this deal, the Thunder add another longterm draft asset while also avoiding even more of a roster crunch. They’ve already got 15 players under contract and will have to make big decisions at the close of training camp. Simply put, bringing four rookies from this draft into the fold would have been difficult to pull off.

Additionally, there’s a good chance the 2027 first rounder Denver sent to OKC will end up being a higher pick than No. 30 overall when it conveys.

While Green does take up a roster spot, there’s actually an advantage to bringing a guy like that onto the roster for a team like the Thunder. For starters he’s a player many playoff teams would love to have, meaning he will be much easier to flip moving forward than a rookie would be.

Last season with the Nuggets, Green produced 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Typically known for being a floor spacer, he only converted on 26.6% of his 3-point attempts in the 2021-22 campaign. In the three seasons prior, he was a combined 39.5% shooter from deep on 3.3 attempts per contest.

Between being a great modern forward and having real experience, Green is a player that opposing teams could look to acquire in the future.

Not only could Green be a valuable trade chip for Oklahoma City over the next several months, but he also could open the door to more deals at the deadline. Oklahoma City won’t have many contracts of his size to work with, meaning his salary could be key as a filler in any move Presti wants to make between now and the deadline.

This trade was the first of new Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, which isn’t an uncommon scenario for Presti to exploit. Last offseason, he made a deal with Brad Stevens in what was his first as GM of the Celtics.

For Denver, this is a deal that certainly provides cap flexibility. They’ll shed roughly $20 million in salary and luxury tax with the move. Additionally, they’ll now be able to use a $6.4 million taxpayer midlevel exception, or an $8.2 million trade exception created with the deal that sent Green to OKC.

There’s no guarantee Green is on the Thunder roster at the start of the upcoming season. It’s easy to see a scenario where he’s flipped in a separate trade of even potentially bought out between now and then. Even if he’s not part of Oklahoma City’s major plans this season, keeping him on the roster could be impactful for the young players. Green is a ten-year NBA veteran who could be important on that front.

It’s also never a bad thing to have expiring money on your books for future flexibility.

While this deal makes a lot of sense for both sides on the surface, the 2027 first rounder is still somewhat unknown. The protections on that pick and what happens if the selection rolls over to future drafts are key.

The agreement on that pick specifically could make or break this deal one day for either side.