One trade every NBA team needs to make
By Tom West
Oklahoma City Thunder
Unsurprisingly, it’s hard to say that any of the top three teams in the NBA need to make a trade. That’s just what happens when you’re sitting at the top of the league. If you’re this good, you don’t need to pursue changes at the deadline to alter style and chemistry this far into the season. For a team like the Thunder, they fit into this small, elite tier of teams.
With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, OKC have the most relentless and dangerous duo in the league. They can be unstoppable individuals at any given moment, and combined this season they’re even more dangerous. With a starting lineup that also features a tough, defensive center like Steven Adams and an elite defender in Serge Ibaka, the only real fault that can be found is with the bench.
Outside of Dion Waiters, who still thinks he’s amazing, the only real fault is with the bench.
The Thunder’s second unit only has a net rating of +0.5 this season, although they’re still 10th in the NBA in that category (per NBA.com). They can at least hang onto leads that the starters build up and while players like Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin and Waiters (once he moves back to the bench when Andre Roberson is healthy) are by no means perfect, it won’t be easy for the Thunder to make a trade that makes a significant difference.
If there’s any way they can make a deal to land a gritty defender like P.J. Tucker from the Suns or an athletic 3-and-D guy like Robert Covington of the 76ers, it could be worth considering. These targets shouldn’t be out of reach by any means, yet even though they would be welcome additions, it isn’t vital that the Thunder make a move.
Next: San Antonio Spurs