Derrick Favors: Slipping in Thunder Rotation

The Thunder veteran hasn’t played much since the flip of the calendar.

Through 12 games this month since the start of 2022, Thunder veteran Derrick Favors has only played in four contests. With a combination of minor injuries and simply not being played when active, he’s been absent from the rotation in Oklahoma City of late.

In the month of January, Favors has played less than 60 total minutes, earning just two starts. With the Feb. 10 trade deadline inching closer, his situation in OKC is certainly one to monitor.

While he won’t be a player many teams will be proactively calling on, Favors has the largest payroll on the team this season as he makes roughly $9.7 million. As such, he’s one of the main levers the Thunder could pull in a larger, complex deal. Although Oklahoma City can absorb nearly any contract around the league into its cap space, Favors’ deal gives them extra flexibility.

However, for teams to be interested in his services, they’ll need to see more success on the floor. Favors hasn’t played much over the past few weeks, but overall has been solid on the season.

The 30-year-old has proven to be effective in the midrange, producing 5.1 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds. He’s done that in just 16.0 minutes per contest, showing Favors is capable of being solid in limited action.

Again, it’s unclear what the future holds for Favors in OKC, but he hasn’t been part of the plan recently in terms of the standard rotation.

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