The future is bright.
On Draft Night in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a trade with the Orlando Magic. This meant the beloved Serge Ibaka would wear a different uniform for the first time in his career. This was a shock to most Thunder fans like myself. Many are upset and sad about the situation.
There was speculation that Ibaka might be moved, but when the Thunder denied the ninth overall pick, I didn't think they would trade him. I was hoping we would, but I knew we needed a good deal. My roommate and I got the notification at about the same time. I didn't check my phone yet when he yelled from the other room, “We traded Ibaka.” Instantly excited when I saw Victor Oladipo’s name, I yelled back, “That's a good trade.”
It is exactly that: a good trade. Victor Oladipo is everything we need in a starting shooting guard. He and Andre Roberson make a very good platoon. Oladipo is an all around player, and he has a great jump shot while also being able to dunk it hard. His defense is right there, too. He won't take away any of the stardom of Durant and Westbrook because he is a low profile player. He plays for his team, not his name.
Ersan Ilyasova is an excellent scoring threat at the power forward position. He isn't very good besides shooting and rebounds, so there is a downside. However, with Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and Durant able to play the power forward position, he doesn't need to play all the time. He can play spot minutes and get some shots in. He will be a good role player for the Thunder bench.
Domantas Sabonis can make this trade one of the best of all time if he plays up to his potential. His dad is a NBA Hall of Famer, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers. Domantas was born in Portland, but he grew up in Lithuania. He started playing professional European basketball at the age of 16. He was never paid because he wanted to keep his NCAA eligibility. He chose to go to Gonzaga. He led his team to the Elite Eight but lost to eventual champions Duke. During his second season, he almost doubled all of his stats and led his team to Sweet Sixteen. He was drafted 11th overall by the Magic and the rights to him were traded to the Thunder.
Oladipo is the best player in this trade but the ceiling for Sabonis is very high. If he rises to the potential laid out for him, he could become the power forward the Thunder need. Adams, Kanter and Sabonis could be a future deadly trio of big men. The OKC Thunder could go on to win several titles in the next five to 10 years. There is no need for Kevin Durant to want to go anywhere other than Oklahoma City. If he can't win here, he may be overhyped.
