The Oklahoma City Thunder front office, led by Sam Presti, is one of the smartest in the league. Nevertheless, even Presti has made his fair share of mistakes — the most notable of which was his decision to trade James Harden away for an uninspiring package right before he blossomed into one of the greatest scorers of his generation.
But those botched trades aren't the subject of today's exercise. For now, we will be looking at the 10 best trades in Thunder franchise history since their move to Oklahoma City in 2008.
10. Acquiring a defensive specialist, Part I (2009)
Thunder acquire Thabo Sefolosha from the Chicago Bulls for a first-round pick (Taj Gibson)
The Thunder may have been bad in 2009, but Sam Presti already had the foresight with regards to what kind of roster he wanted to build around Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Sefolosha was a terrific point of attack defender and cutter who was instrumental for when OKC became true contenders in the early 2010s.
Taj Gibson ended up being a solid piece for the Bulls, but he would not have started over Serge Ibaka. Perhaps if OKC didn't trade for Sefolosha, then the Thunder decide to roll with a Gibson-Ibaka frontcourt — a much better pairing than with Kendrick Perkins in the Bulls big man's place. But there's no mistaking how instrumental Sefolosha's defense was in complementing Durant and Westbrook.
9. Acquiring a defensive specialist, Part II (2013)
Thunder receive Andre Roberson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade
Andre Roberson was the type of player who would have flourished had he made the NBA 30 years before he actually did. Nevertheless, the Thunder, for a low cost, acquired a player who would end up being such a lockdown defender that it helped mask his lack of floor-spacing ability.
He had some brilliant moments during the Thunder's time as a contending team in the mid-2010s, even upping his three-point shooting when it matters most. It's quite a shame that Roberson's time as a quality starter ended when he ruptured his left patellar tendon in 2018.
8. Low-risk punt on explosive scorer (2015)
Thunder trade away Lance Thomas and 2016 first-round pick in three-team trade for Dion Waiters
The 2014-15 season may have been a lost one for the Thunder in the end as they missed the playoffs due to tiebreaker rules, but that was when they made their best trades with the intention of surrounding Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook with as many quality players as they can.
Waiters fell out of favor with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the aftermath of LeBron James' return. James' arrival, not to mention the presence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, rendered Waiters' shot-creating skillset superfluous. And the Thunder did well to take a punt on Waiters to give them one additional player who could commandeer the offense without it completely falling apart.
Dion Waiters' surface stats may not be that impressive, but he was instrumental for when the Thunder pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink in 2016. He allowed the Thunder to shapeshift, and he also made a few timely buckets of his own. Too bad that run ended in heartbreak.
7. The ‘Stache Bros unite (2015)
Thunder acquire Enes Kanter (and others) for package headlined by Reggie Jackson
Another trade in 2015 that contributed to the Thunder's all-time playoff run in 2016, adding Enes Kanter was a stroke of genius from the OKC front office. Kanter feasted on opposing bench units, and his terrible pick-and-roll defense didn't cost the Thunder as much from a role off the pine.
The most impressive part of Kanter's Thunder tenure was when Billy Donovan turned to both him and Steven Adams in an attempt to overwhelm the San Antonio Spurs on the boards during the 2016 playoffs. And it worked like a charm, as the Thunder upset a 67-win Spurs team that went 40-1 at home in the regular season. For the low cost of Reggie Jackson, a player who has become increasingly disgruntled in his role as Russell Westbrook's backup, there are few better value trades in franchise history.
6. Putting an end to the ill-fated OK3 era (2018)
Thunder dumps Carmelo Anthony on the Atlanta Hawks for Dennis Schroder
In 2017, with Sam Presti doing his best to put together a winning team around Russell Westbrook, the Thunder traded Doug McDermott, Enes Kanter, and the pick that would become Mitchell Robinson for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony came in to form the vaunted OK3 — not a bad bounce-back for a franchise that was still reeling from Kevin Durant's departure.
We all know what happened next. The Thunder didn't exactly maximize Anthony's skillset. They ended up freezing him out of the offense for stretches, and he didn't provide enough value outside of his scoring ability to compensate. During the 2018 NBA playoffs, the Jazz targeted him relentlessly on pick-and-rolls, and Melo failed to rise to the challenge.
Thus, when the 2018 offseason rolled along, it was hard to envision the Thunder getting any sort of positive value in return should they decide to dump Carmelo Anthony's contract. But that's exactly what they did. They were able to bring in Dennis Schroder, who became one of the best Sixth Men in the league with OKC. Schroder would eventually net the Thunder a first-round pick, which they used to acquire Aleksej Pokusevski.
5. OKC Value Rehabilitation Center (2020)
Thunder take on Al Horford's contract in exchange for Vasilije Micic, Theo Maledon, and a top-six protected 2025 first-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers
After deciding to rebuild in 2020, the Thunder front office decided to use their cap space to take on unwanted contracts from other teams. One such instance was their trade for Al Horford in 2020 when the Sixers wanted to pivot away from the Horford-Joel Embiid partnership that didn't quite work out as planned.
The Thunder took advantage of that unfortunate Sixers development and were able to get two positive assets, along with a lottery ticket that didn't pan out (Theo Maledon), in the process. But the Horford trade cycle does not end there. Horford looked impressive in his short stint as an OKC player that they were able to parlay him into even more assets the following offseason. They then took on Kemba Walker's onerous contract and acquired more assets, including the pick that became Alperen Sengun, in doing so.
4. There might be a ‘good' in ‘goodbye' (2019)
Thunder say goodbye to face of the franchise Russell Westbrook, deal him to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, two first-round picks and two pick swaps
The summer of 2019 was a rough time to be a Thunder fan. Fresh off a crushing five-game series defeat in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Thunder didn't exactly make some needle-moving moves to try and bolster the Russell Westbrook and Paul George-led core. But in early July, the first domino fell when the Thunder dealt George away to the Los Angeles Clippers for a deal no team could ever resist.
Thus, the writing was on the wall for Westbrook. And shortly after George's departure, it was Westbrook's turn to change zip codes, teaming up with James Harden to form an electric backcourt in Houston.
But instead of hitting rock bottom, the Thunder remained competitive during the 2019-20 season, thanks in large part to Chris Paul's renaissance. Many thought Paul was headed for a steep decline in his career, so it was a pleasant surprise that the Point God helped OKC remain afloat during a transitional period. For that, the Thunder were able to turn Paul into a few positive assets, getting out from underneath two contracts that would have hamstrung their ability to pull off shrewd deals like the one they did for Al Horford in 2020.
3. Hitting the reset button (2016)
Thunder deal away longtime PF Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, and Ersan Ilyasova
Heading into a pivotal offseason, the Thunder decided to go younger, dealing away Ibaka for Oladipo and the 11th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft in Sabonis, with Ilyasova acting as salary filler. OKC was gearing up in hopes of convincing Kevin Durant to stay, betting on the potential of the two players they acquired to, perhaps, be the pieces the team needed to get over the hump eventually.
Of course, Durant chose to move to the Warriors in the end, leaving OKC without a realistic path to winning a championship. And Oladipo and Sabonis didn't exactly light the world on fire in during the 2016-17 season, with Russell Westbrook taking on a humongous offensive load every single night en route to his coronation as MVP.
But the Thunder were able to parlay the assets they received for Serge Ibaka for one of the best small forwards in the league during the very next offseason, owing to the OKC front office's shrewd asset management.
2. The KD replacement is finally here? (2017)
Thunder receive Paul George from the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis
The 2016-17 Thunder severely lacked the firepower to compete in the playoffs. Every time Russell Westbrook needed to take a breather, the Thunder collapsed. That is not a winning formula. So when Paul George entered the trade market in 2017, the Thunder did well to acquire him from the Pacers for the assets they got in the Serge Ibaka deal. In essence, OKC turned Ibaka into George — a swap any team would make at that point in time.
George was an impending free agent, which allowed the Thunder to get him for that cheap of a price. There were worries that PG13 would leave the Thunder empty-handed in the end, which would be additionally demoralizing given how Oladipo and Sabonis blossomed in Indianapolis.
But as Sam Presti said, “scared money don't make none“. Paul George re-signed with the team on a long-term deal in 2018, and he gave the Thunder a heads-up that he wanted a change of scenery if things didn't go according to plan, which allowed the team to cash in on him at the peak of his value with one of the best trades not just in franchise history, but in league history as well.
1. Dame blows up the Thunder (2019)
Thunder end disappointing era, trade away Paul George to the Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps
Even without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's emergence into the superstar that he is today, that remains one of the greatest hauls a team has received for any superstar player in any trade in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander's development into a First Team All-NBA Player, however, just puts this trade over the top as a gigantic win for the Thunder franchise. Credit must go to Paul George, of course, as he could have left the Thunder with nothing back in 2018.
It's worth mentioning, however, that it's this trade that sealed Kawhi Leonard's move to the Clippers. So for that big of a price, the Clippers were essentially paying for two superstars — a worthwhile cost, even if things haven't exactly gone according to plan for them.
This trade made the Clippers one of the favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship, but in 2023, they remain empty-handed due to their terrible luck with injuries. Meanwhile, the Thunder arguably have the brightest future among rebuilding teams, with Gilgeous-Alexander at the heart of their efforts to compete once more.
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