Familiar Faces: Thunder Hold the Means to Reunite with Sabonis
A reunion could be coming to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder are in the market to add pieces and teams around the league are looking to dump talent near the deadline.
The Indiana Pacers made their first move dealing off Caris Lavert to Cleveland, and have two other talented roster members on sale.
OKC could be in the market as a landing spot for power forward Domantas Sabonis. A familiar sound for the Thunder. Sabonis played for the Thunder for one season in the 2016-17 campaign.
In the one season with OKC he played in 81 games, starting 66, and tallied 5.9 points per game. Since then Sabonis has blossomed into a two-time NBA All-Star.
This year Sabonis is having his best-ever shooting year with a 58% clip. The tally ranks seventh in the NBA in that category. He is also averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and five assists per game. The 25-year-old is also shooting 32.4% from beyond the arc.
There are plenty of positives for the Thunder acquiring Sabonis. First, he fills a need. More importantly, the Thunder have the package to make it happen.
Sabonis can score at a productive rate, something the Thunder could use more of. His 58% shooting mark would, easily, be the best on the Thunder starting lineup and roster as a whole.
His 19 points per game tally would rank second on the team behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, his most needed contribution wouldn’t be in the scoring column, instead it comes on the glass. His 12.1 per game mark easily ranks atop the Thunder roster with Josh Giddey’s 7.5 per game mark currently holding down the top of the list.
The Thunder desperately needs help on the glass and scoring, Sabonis, and his 6-foot-11-inch frame, provides both.
Secondly, the Thunder have the means to make most any deal a reality with their cap space situation and massive stockpile of draft picks. The Thunder have the NBA’s lowest payroll and an open roster spot meaning Sabonis’ contract, or any contract, won’t be an issue.
Sabonis is on a four-year $74.9 million contract through 2024. The contract pays $18.5 per year until the final year where the deal is worth $19.4.
The Pacers are looking to dump money, and the Thunder have the means to add on.
However, a deal for Sabonis does pose questions as to why they should steer away from him.
Why would they get him mid-year when they don’t want to win?
And wouldn’t it hurt development at his position?
For the first, it’s clear the Thunder want a high draft pick. However, a trade for a major piece like Sabonis would, almost certainly, up their win total in the second half of the season.
The Thunder want to be in the best position to earn the highest possible lottery pick in this year’s draft, so why not wait until after the season to advance the rebuild with a key addition.
Secondly, the trade would shift minutes to Sabonis and away from current starters and contributors. The first person that should come to mind would be Darius Bazley. With SGA out with an able injury the past four games Bazley has re-entered the starting lineup fold, and he’s made the most of the opportunity. In the four games he’s averaged more than 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He also had a double-double in that stretch.
But a trade for Sabonis would move him back to the bench and limit minutes for Bazley and others. Bazley, for the season, is playing nearly 26 minutes per game. Sabonis, on the other hand, is playing nearly 35.
While it would hurt the playing time, a trade for a piece like Sabonis could help the younger roster pieces develop quicker with a role model on the team.
With the trade deadline quickly approaching Sabonis is looking for a new home, and the Thunder have all the ingredients to be big time buyers. With the cap room, an open roster spot and draft picks a reunion could be in the works in OKC by way of Indiana.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
