One crazy trade every NBA team should make

9. Oklahoma City Thunder

I propose we rename the Thunder to the “Russell Westbrook et al.s.” It’s accurate, and it removes the problem of not having a simple plural to refer to members of the team. We get cool “Panic! at the Disco” type punctuation, and we also remove the need to say “Thunder players” or “members of the Thunder.” They’re the “et al.s” now. Simple. Easy. Done.

Now that we have the et al.s in order, we need to make the trade that best fits this mindset. We need someone who fills a need if not multiple, won’t rock the boat, and basically assist Russ in getting as many triple-doubles as possible while helping the team win. The Thunder are not a championship team, but they at least need to sniff a potential playoff run in order to give Russ the best chance at an MVP.

The Hawks had a real nice start, then they had a real un-nice followup to that start. A shakeup may be in order. Not the kind of shakeup where the bottle of dressing flies out of your hand and hits a bird but the kind where the oil and vinegar swish around nicely and pour out in even quantities on your playoff salad. Millsap is a bird smacker. Howard is a bird smacker.

Shefelosha, though, is a salad friend. He’d not detract from the rebounds and assists, he’d fill in some other box score bits, and he’s played with Russ before, so they’re probably best friends. Done.

Various et al.s to the Atlanta Hawks for Thabo Shefolosha