It has been a busy 72 hours for the Oklahoma City Thunder. General Manager Sam Presti has been wheeling and dealing since the year began and has been the most active GM by far trying to rebuild the Thunder. The Thunder is repositioning itself, looking to acquire as much draft capital as possible while developing its youth.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Al Horford, Trades, Waivers, and Rebuilding
Despite having a resurgent season with the Thunder, veteran big man Al Horford, and the Thunder mutually agreed to part ways. However, Horford remains with the team. General Manager Sam Presti has worked closely with Horford to find him an appropriate destination but the offers were underwhelming. Oklahoma City was open with not trading Horford just as a salary dump so he will need to wait for the offseason.
Following the passing of the deadline, it was announced Horford will sit the rest of the season.
🤝Good guy Al Horford on his agreement with the Thunder to become indefinitely inactive. #bolts pic.twitter.com/eAhztphexQ
— Daily Thunder (@dailythunder) March 28, 2021
This was a mutual agreement that speaks volumes about Horford’s professionalism and the Thunder organization. He will remain with Oklahoma City in a mentoring role and help develop the Thunder’s youth.
Oklahoma City Says Goodbye to George Hill
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued down the path of “asset accumulation”, sending George Hill to the Philadelphia 76ers for Tony Bradley and two second-round picks (2025 & 2026). It was initially reported to be a two-team deal before New York was included late in the piece to become a three-team transaction.
Three-way deal with Knicks. Terrance Ferguson to New York in the trade, per sources. https://t.co/NU3JgmUV0k
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Tony Bradley finds himself on his third team in four seasons with questions surrounding his defensive fervor. He is 6’10 with a massive 7’4 wingspan but hasn’t shown tremendous progress on defense thus far. He’s averaging 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 14.4 minutes and will receive minutes in the rotation.
Austin Rivers was also traded to Oklahoma City but his future was quickly decided…
Oklahoma City Thunder Buyout Austin Rivers
Given the Thunder’s gluttony of guards, there was no place for veteran Austin Rivers. As a result, he was waived a day after the deal and free to join a contender.
The Milwaukee Bucks are leaders to sign Austin Rivers upon clearing waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. There’s strong mutual interest between the sides. https://t.co/xnw7aherEe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 28, 2021
This makes sense given where Rivers is in his career. Waiving him opened the door for Oklahoma City Thunder’s newest edition.
Two-way Center Moses Brown Converted to a Multi-year Contract
For the third time in three seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder has converted one of its two-way players, signing center Moses Brown to a full NBA contract.
Thunder Signs Moses Brown to Multi-Year Contract
🔗 | https://t.co/ieMu3WIKER pic.twitter.com/iLikhW3CoN
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 28, 2021
Details of the contract are yet to be released but one assumes it is similar to the deal former two-way player Luguentz Dort received a year ago. The 21-year-old is averaging 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 17.1 minutes this season.
After going undrafted in 2019, Brown spent time with the Portland Trailblazers before signing a two-way with Oklahoma City. Seen largely as a project, the big man played in the G-League bubble and impressed earning All First team honors.
Since the All-Star break, the 21-year-old is averaging 12.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks including a monstrous 23 point, 21 rebound game against the Boston Celtics. He became the fastest player in the franchise’s history to achieve a double-double, putting up 10 points and 10 rebounds in 8:11.
#MosesBrown has the 2nd fastest double-double in OKC history tonight (8:11) 📊#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/G6Vggfor2j
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 28, 2021
Brown’s high motor, energy, and penchant for rebounds have seen him plug one of the Thunder’s major weaknesses. Furthermore, Brown is a deterrent at the rim with opponents remaining conscious of where he is at all times.
Long Term Questions
There are some big questions as to whether Brown will stick. His offense is primarily around the rim, doesn’t have a shot, and is a poor passer. Additionally, he struggles to contain smaller players on the perimeter due to a lack of foot speed and anticipation. With the NBA perimeter-oriented, he will need to improve these areas to justify his spot long-term.
Despite these things, this is a wonderful, feel-good story for the young man. It has been a tough year and a half for Brown and this is a great pay-off for all his hard work. It looks like the Thunder found another diamond in the rough and it will be interesting to see how he develops.
Final Thoughts
The Oklahoma City franchise has done a terrific job repositioning the franchise toward the future. Sam Presti has amassed 34 picks over the next seven drafts including 17 first-round picks. Couple this with finding undrafted diamonds, the Thunder have done a great job putting together a roster with high potential.
Oklahoma City’s future is bright and only time will tell how bright it will be.
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