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The old saying goes that you can not extract blood from a turnip.
idiom did not meet Sam Presti
The Oklahoma City Thunder office has designed an agreement that will send Carmelo Anthony and a protected first-round pick to 2022 in Atlanta in the context of an exchange of three teams, by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com . Melo should be released. The Hawks will also receive the swingman Justin Anderson of Philadelphia, while the 76ers will receive Atlanta's big man Mike Muscala
In return, Oklahoma City will receive three plays: leader Dennis Schroder, drummer Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and an exception Tim Bontemps Washington Post .
The popular opinion among the people of the NBA summer league was that Melo's tenure at OKC would end with a buyout. With the opportunity to increase this amount over three seasons, the Thunder could have saved nearly $ 100 million in luxury taxes next season. Anthony also had a no-trade clause that he could have used as a roadblock, but he relaxed that to speed his departure.
If the mere fact of saving money would have improved the Thunder, perhaps it would have been in that direction. But Anthony was an asset. It was still a part that could be used to advance the team. Once a player has surrendered, he represents the dead money that can not be exchanged. Instead, Presti left the recovery yard with a brand new engine.
OKC has saved money in the trade, although it is not a payday dump. Schroder still has three years and $ 46.5 million in his deal. The potential tax bill is reduced by nearly $ 150 million to $ 88.8 million. The total cost of the team goes from about $ 308 million to $ 238 million. Things are still fluid. For example, the Thunder can reduce costs even more by freeing and stretching Kyle Singler. Although Anthony, he is still part if necessary to balance a future trade.
Finance aside, the exchange is another move towards identity OKC wants to forge on the ground. Step 1 was to sign Westbrook last summer. Step 2 was to recruit Paul George (who had never even met the Lakers, his hometown). He continues with Anthony's trade and bringing the good pieces.
Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press
The Thunder preached the cadence this offseason. OKC has been a top-10 team in possession per game since 2011-12. He fell to 15 th last year, and while Anthony's style contributed, he's not alone. Backup guard Raymond Felton played at a pace of 95.7 possessions per game in 2017-18, well below 101.2 Russell Westbrook.
Even though OKC has reconquered Felton, he may have to sit on the bench. Schroder will inherit the role of top scorer James Harden, Reggie Jackson and Dion Waiters. The offense should not stop abruptly when the former MVP takes a break. Schroder was just behind Westbrook last season by generating points on pick-and-rolls, according to Synergy:
Synergy Basketball @ SynergySST
Dennis Schroder ranked 6th in the NBA create, assist, or scoring 17.2 points per game at the end of the season, just behind Russell Westbrook, who finished 5th at 19.9 per game.
There are good reasons why the Hawks were prepared to separate from their starting point guard. On the court, he is a three point career shooter of 32% and a little too small at 6 "1", 172 lbs. He also faced from time to time with l. former coach Mike Budenholzer and was like Oklahoma Sooners Trae Young, Atlanta's first pick at the draft
Schroder was also charged with a misdemeanor, which resulted from a fight in September in a bar In March, the DeKalb District Attorney recommended charges of crime.By adding Schroder and Nerlens Noel this summer, Oklahoma City is giving its culture a significant resistance test.
Yet Schroder is a fierce competitor, a quality Kevin Chouinard noted on Twitter:
Kevin Chouinard @ KLChouinard
Recording at @ ATLand29 pod right now and just mentioned this idea. Activity will feed his soul. Https://t.co/J1AaWx9gyO
Pass the sta Riding at the sixth man could be a problem for Schroder, but the Thunder outpaced this potential problem. Wojnarowski reported that Presti and head coach Billy Donovan were allowed to speak with Schroder before the deal. And according to the main author of Bleacher Report, Ric Bucher, Westbrook is Schröder's favorite player:
Adrian Wojnarowski @ wojespn
Sources: Muscala ($ 5M) is expected to join a third team. OKC general manager Sam Presti and coach Billy Donovan have had permission to speak with Schroder, and they are excited about the partnership. OKC wants more speed, another handler. https://t.co/VibPPXzlBW
The Luwawu-Cabarrot of 6 "6" is a 23-year-old project that is still in the rookie state, in a typically thunderous style, it is a lanky winged player with a lot of defensive potential, he was buried on the Sixers' bench as the team went from lottery to playoff threat. "Philadelphia acquired wings Landry Shamet, Zhaire Smith and Shake Milton in the repechage of June, a sign of a willingness to leave the French perspective.It becomes another development task for the Thunder staff – which historically strikes more than it lacks.
The exception of $ 10.9 million is the largest in the league, based on data from Basketball Insiders valid for one year and could be used to facilitate transactions.
OKC still has its exception mid-level of $ 5.3 million in ur taxpayers Thunder will find a player who is worth it and the tax added. However, it serves as a tool to chase a redeemed person during the season.
Presti Sam Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press
For all this to happen, OKC was dealing with a protected case. 2022 first round to the Hawks. The choice is protected by the lottery, which gives the team a cushion. If the Thunder gets over here by then – a realistic possibility in the fourth year of Westbrook's designated player expansion – OKC should instead choose a pair of future second round picks.
Trade ends the Melo experiment in Oklahoma City. He started with high hopes and ended up with both parties wanting to get out of the relationship. But the Thunder will go forward because they do not destroy, they recycle.
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.
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