Thunder Trade Deadline Moves Don't Change Trajectory of Season

The NBA Trade Deadline is one of the most dramatic portions of the NBA regular season. Oftentimes, the Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t involved or make very slight moves. This year, no real needle movers were made.

They began their two moves with a small trade with the Boston Celtics that sent Mike Muscala – whom the Thunder fan base loved – in exchange for two future second-round picks and Justin Jackson, who will likely be waived or bought out.

While the Thunder's moves could have stopped there and no fans would have been surprised. However, they moved on from Darius Bazley, which doesn't come as a surprise, and in return received Dario Saric and a second-pick from the Phoenix Suns.

Again, neither of the two moves are real needle movers. With Jackson likely not seeing the court for Oklahoma City, it was essentially a move that helped Muscala benefit a contending team while he has something in the tank.

For the other trade, Saric could serve a small role for the Thunder and prove himself as a teammate before he enters free agency in the upcoming offseason. The trade more-so benefits Bazley, though, as he will see new scenery, which his career could benefit from. His role with the Thunder was limited as he didn’t fit the offensive style, so a move to a team that better suits his style helps, too.

The Bazley trade helps the Suns, too, as they traded Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson as a part of the Kevin Durant trade. Bazley can provide some of the wing presence they’ll be missing from the trade. Not to mention, the fourth-year forward is reunited with Chris Paul, who he played with during his rookie season.

The Thunder essentially offloaded two players that likely weren’t in the team's future plans, and likely didn’t have a role beyond this season. The two were two of four Thunder players that played in the Thunder’s last playoff appearance in the 2019-20 season. However, their time had run out.

Since the two weren’t going to make an impact beyond this year, it made sense to maximize their value and receive anything back rather than losing both to free agency. The Thunder will continue to play the younger players that fit the system the Thunder are establishing, allowing them roster fluctuation as they move forward with their rebuild. This doesn't make the team significantly worse either, as Saric can fill the role Muscala brought to the team.

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.