The Oklahoma City Thunder have been surprisingly successful to start the season. Despite the expectations being low for their squad after parting with Paul George and Russell Westbrook, they are 18-15 and rank 7th in the Western Conference standings.
The month of December that the Thunder just finished have was truly impressive. They ended this 15 game stretch with an 11-4 record and only the Milwaukee Bucks (13-2) finished better than them. Managing to build momentum at this juncture of the season could be key in convincing Oklahoma City that they should actually be buyers at the trade deadline.
There are two players that would be wise for the Thunder to pursue via trade.
2. Damion Lee
The Golden State Warriors are in a bit of a roster crunch with all of the injuries they have adding complications to two-way players like Damion Lee and Ky Bowman. While they are exploring ways to be able to sign Lee after his 45 days expire, it would be advantageous for the Thunder to attempt to acquire him.
Lee has been a highly efficient spot-up shooter as he is producing 1.213 points per possession (87th percentile) during these sequences. That is a skill that would be valuable to have for the Thunder as they rank 27th in spot-up shooting efficiency as a team. Terrence Ferguson is just not getting it done in this area.
Having another reliable shooter on the perimeter would be a real benefit for the Thunder's playmakers. It seems this is the main area holding them back from reaching another level offensively because there are points being left on the board on open shots.
1. Robert Covington
Managing to acquire Robert Covington would help to complete the Thunder's starting lineup. The Thunder already have a talented backcourt in Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander along with impact frontcourt players in Danilo Gallinari and Steven Adams. However, Terrance Ferguson doesn't cut it as a starting small forward.
It has been a down start to the season for Covington in the perimeter shooting department, but his defense is always an asset. He is averaging 12.0 points per game but is shooting just 33.7% on 5.8 three-point attempts per game. That clip should rise as he has shot over 36% from deep over his three previous seasons and playing with better passing talent on the Thunder would only help.
It may not be easy for the Thunder to land Covington if that is what they want to do. As Marc Stein of The New York Times recently reported, NBA front offices have ramped up their interest in the ‘3-and-D' wing ahead of the trade deadline.
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