Oklahoma City trades C Thabeet to 76ers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded center Hasheem Thabeet and cash to the Philadelphia 76ers for a protected second-round draft pick in 2015 and a trade exception.

The deal was announced on Tuesday. The Thunder have a year to use the trade exception.

Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 defensive specialist from Tanzania, played in 66 games in 2012 and averaged nearly a block per contest. His playing time was reduced last season when first-round pick Steven Adams emerged as the backup center.

The Grizzlies made Thabeet the second overall pick in the 2009 draft. The former Connecticut star also has played for the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers.