The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers agreed in principle to a deal involving Dennis Schroder and Danny Green. The Athletic’s Shams Charania first broke the news after a series of tweets from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Lakers and Thunder have agreement in principle on deal to send Dennis Schroder to Los Angeles, and No. 28 pick in Wednesday's Draft to OKC, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 15, 2020
Oklahoma City is officially in rebuild mode and looking to acquire assets for its veterans. For the Lakers, this is a tremendous upgrade at the guard position as Schroder is able to create offense off the dribble. The German had a career year shooting the ball, making 46.9 percent of his shots and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc on five attempts per game. Schroder showed he can fit alongside other ball-dominant players thus his fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis proposes little issue.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Potential Landing Spots for Guard Danny Green
The 33-year-old doesn’t fit the Thunder’s timeline so a third team is likely to be involved to acquire his services. It has been rumored Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has already begun his search.
The Thunder are already shopping newly-acquired Danny Green.
Don’t expect to see DG in an OKC jersey next season.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 15, 2020
Green played solidly for the Lakers last season but his shooting was extremely streaky. The veteran averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds on 41.6 percent shooting and 36.7 percent from three.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at three teams that could be interested in the three-time champion.
Dallas Mavericks Strengthen Position for 2021 Free Agency
Now that we know where Dennis is heading, how about an expanded traded to redirect Green to DAL?
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/9xNntLjsOd
— Thunder Moneyball (@geola388) November 15, 2020
This deal positions the Dallas Mavericks for a huge run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. The Mavericks move on from Dwight Powell and Delon Wright, clearing approximately $20-million in cap space next season. Powell is set to miss the 2020-21 season with injury while Wright has been glued to the Mavericks bench. While Dallas would send the 18th pick and 32nd pick in this year’s draft, Green’s expiring contract makes life easier in free agency.
Green is a serviceable wing who fits alongside franchise pillars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The veteran doesn’t need the ball and fits well in a heliocentric offense. Additionally, he adds some badly needed perimeter defense.
Brooklyn Nets Play the Waiting Game for 2021
The Brooklyn Nets are in a strong position to add talent around superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. As currently constructed, the Nets have gaping holes on the defensive side of the ball and Green helps solidify their perimeter defense. Irving and Durant are going to torch defenses in this upcoming season with their elite level isolation games and Green can operate as an off-ball shooting threat.
Jarrett Allen has found himself stuck behind super friend DeAndre Jordan and is on the final year of his rookie deal. Allen is a premier shot blocker and a team like Oklahoma City would be a great landing spot for him. Taurean Prince received a lucrative extension last Summer and fills an area of need for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City has explored a trade for Prince in the past and Presti finally gets his man after missing out previously.
Golden State Warriors Solve Wing Depth
This one could be super interesting for dubs fans as well.
DG and Oubre end up in GS for depth pic.twitter.com/xAj7IMpShI
— Thunder Moneyball (@geola388) November 15, 2020
The Golden State Warriors need wings badly and this transaction fills those needs. Green is still a solid team defender. Despite losing a step, Golden State’s defensive scheme covers his limitations in one on one situations. Kelly Oubre also arrives to give the Warriors an aggressive, athletic wing and has shown good improvement as a defender. Draymond Green is the teams quarterback on defense and he will direct Oubre in their switch-heavy scheme.
A wing rotation of Klay Thompson, Green, and Oubre instantly fortifies their issues on the perimeter. This also provides Golden State with line-up versatility and could form a new death lineup with Draymond Green at the five. The Warriors would swap picks with the Thunder and absorb Andrew Wiggins remaining three-years $100-million-dollars (approximately). It gets Golden State off a ton of future money as well.
Rumor has it the Thunder are trying to move into the top three to potentially select LaMelo Ball but would need the cooperation of everyone involved.
Conclusion
The most difficult aspect of multi-team deals is finding ground where all teams are satisfied. For the Thunder, the motivation is obvious – to acquire assets in the form of picks or young players. Can the Thunder find Danny Green a new home?
With Sam Presti at the helm, anything is possible.
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