Inside The Thunder

Are Andre Roberson's Days as a Thunder Over

According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, the only move the Thunder might make before the deadline is to deal Andre Roberson.

Erik Gee

The NBA trade deadline is five days away, and so far, all is quiet with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But, that doesn't mean rumors aren't flying, and fans want to know one simple thing. Will Sam Preti let the Thunder ride out this improbable run, or will he break them up to build for future days.

According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, executives around the association see the only move Presti might make is to deal Andre Roberson and his expiring 10.7-million dollar contract for tax relief.  Per Bobby Marks of ESPN after the Thunder traded Justin Patton to the Mavericks for Isiah Roby, Oklahoma City's tax bill dropped to just over 801-thousand dollars. The Roby for Patton move took the Thunder from 2.3 million over the salary cap to 2 million.  Trading Roberson would put the Oklahoma City under the threshold. 

If Prest can accomplish not having to pay the luxury, he might be more willing to keep his current roster intact. Of course, dumping Roberson's salary might come with a price in the way having to part with one of those potential 15 first-round picks over the next seven years. 

For Presti, that might be a little too high for a salary dump, and he could seek to recoup that pick in the way of a trade for Gallinari. 

Roberson's current status with the Thunder remains as it has been since the early part of December when he chose to continue his rehab away from the team in Los Angles.  Billy Donovan has said on several occasions Roberson is working with trainers to get back where he feels comfortable playing.  He has been in constant contact with the Thunder to let him know where his progress is.    

Roberson hasn't played since January 2018 and has suffered multiple setbacks over the last two seasons. 

The Thunder are on a four-day break. They will host the Cavaliers  Wednesday at the Peake. Game time is 7 pm on Fox Sports Oklahoma. 

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Erik Gee
ERIK GEE

With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa. 

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