Pair Of Trade Deadline Deals Make Thunder Even Younger

Leading up to today’s NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder were expected to be relatively quiet and make marginal moves. This is exactly what happened, as Thunder GM Sam Presti made two separate deals in sending out players that weren’t necessarily part of the long-term plans in Oklahoma City for future draft capital. As such, the youngest team in the entire NBA got even younger

Deadline day was officially kicked off with a blockbuster deal that sent former Thunder star Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns. From there, OKC pushed over the first domino of the late window ahead of double-digit trades in the hours just before the deadline.

The first move of the day for the Thunder was sending Mike Muscala to the Boston Celtics. Entering the day, it was clear that Boston was looking for center depth. Not only did the Celtics get that, but they also got one of the top 3-point shooting bigs in the game.

The 31-year-old veteran is shooting 41.3% from deep over the last two seasons and is known for coming off the bench as a perimeter spark plug.

In return for Muscala, Oklahoma City acquired forward Justin Jackson, the Celtics’ 2029 second-round pick and the worse of their two second-round picks in the upcoming draft.

It’s widely expected that Jackson is waived and never actually joins the Thunder. He spent time in Oklahoma City during the 2020-21 season, but doesn’t fit what the team doing in their rebuilt at this point.

While Muscala was an incredibly important figure for the Thunder both on and off the court, he was able to net OKC two second rounders. His role was recently increased with all of the injuries to the Thunder frontcourt, but those young guys who need developmental minutes will be back soon. Furthermore, Chet Holmgren making his debut next season as the starting center which will make it even more difficult for a guy like Muscala to fit into the rotation.

This ended up being a deal that was mutually beneficial for both sides, as Muscala now goes to the top team in the Eastern Conference and has a chance at winning a championship.

Less than two hours later, the Thunder made their second and final move of the day. Defensive-minded forward Darius Bazley was traded to the Suns for Dario Saric and yet another 2029 second-round pick.

This was yet another example of Presti ensuring he gets value out of a young player before they hit restricted free agency. Similar to what he did with Hamidou Diallo two seasons ago, he was able to acquire an interesting piece on an expiring deal attached to marginal draft capital.

Bazley is a versatile defender that’s always made an impact on that end, but hasn’t found consistency on offense. The 22-year-old could thrive in a role with less responsibility in Phoenix as a rotational defender.

Assuming Oklahoma City chooses to keep Saric, the front office and coaching staff will get to explore his fit with the roster for the next few months. While he’s no longer a young player, the 6-foot-10 forward does fit the Thunder system. He’s a player that can stretch the floor and rebound at a solid rate in limited action.

In fact, what Saric provides on the floor isn’t all that different from what Muscala has for the past several years in Oklahoma City. If he is someone the Thunder keep on the roster the rest of the year, his $9.24 million contract will expire in the offseason which will be beneficial for cap flexibility.

Interestingly enough, Saric would be the oldest player on the entire Thunder roster at 28 years old, just several months older than Kenrich Williams.

At the end of the day, Presti ultimately flipped two players not in the long-term plans in Mike Muscala and Darius Bazley for two expiring contracts and three second rounders. Oklahoma City also is in a better place financially moving forward and will have at least one open roster spot to work with.

While it was a positive day for the Thunder’s future, the roster on paper has taken a small step back. Meanwhile, a good majority of the teams in the Western Conference that are near or above Oklahoma City in the standings got better.

Furthermore, the question all season surrounding the Thunder has been around the lack of center depth. After today, that becomes even more of a concern despite guys like Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl getting closer to returning from their respective injuries.

Either way, the Oklahoma City Thunder believe in their system and developmental program and will continue their push for playing competitive basketball the rest of the 2022-23 season with this young roster.