Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Jerami Grant from Philadelphia 76ers

It’s very early in the NBA season, but the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers have worked out a trade.

It’s a long way between now and the NBA trade deadline, but the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers have exchanged frontcourt players.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Thunder have acquired forward Jerami Grant from Philadelphia and will send forward Ersan Ilyasova and a conditional draft pick to the 76ers.

Wojnarowski added that Oklahoma City had been pursuing a trade for Grant for several months, and finally got it done. Ilyasova is in the final year of his contract, with an $8.4 million salary, so it’s unclear if Philadelphia will even keep him due to glut of big men they already have. Grant is theoretically a far more versatile player than Ilyasova, and he could contribute as a combo forward, but Oklahoma City surely sought a bit of financial flexibility in making this trade.

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Wojnarowski’s colleague Bobby Marks offered some context to that end.

Marks also reported the conditional first-round draft pick that would go from Oklahoma City to Philadelphia could turn into two second-round picks. But further details seem to make that unlikely, unless there’s a specific year the first-round pick has to be surrendered by that may come into play for an unknown reason.

Grant is also the far younger player in this deal, at 22 years old compared Ilyasova at 29. Being a controllable player, with non-guaranteed salaries this and next season, also makes Grant an appealing option for the Thunder as they add youth and depth to their roster.