NBA Rumors: Should Oklahoma City Thunder trade for Arron Afflalo?

Dec 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Arron Afflalo (4) attempts a shot while being defended by Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha (25) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

It seems like only a matter of time before the Orlando Magic trade guard Arron Afflalo.

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Afflalo arguably should have been an all-star last year, but he is blocking some of the Magic’s younger wing players, meaning the Magic likely want to sell high and get assets in return for Afflalo. One team that Afflalo would be an excellent fit with is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders believes a deal between the Magic and Thunder makes sense.

"Getting the Magic to take back Perkins might require too pretty a penny for the Thunder to pay. And don’t forget Lamb was a big part of the Harden trade haul, so psychologically he is hard to part with. And Magic are selling the 28 y/o Afflalo at his highest value after a career year. He isn’t quite the absolute knock down shooter you might like him to be, although he’s certainly capable. His defense may similarly be overrated, as he usually does not rate particularly well by plus/minus data. Maybe Sam Presti still believes in Lamb’s future, or those guys aren’t enough to get him from Orlando (where of course Rob Hennigan was Presti’s former lieutenant.)That said the deal does make sense. But there are lots of deals that make some sense that never get done for myriad reasons."

Afflalo, who is reportedly open to being dealt to a playoff team, is coming off of the best season of his career. He averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 45.9% from the field, 42.7% from beyond the arc and 81.5% from the free throw line.

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