NBA Trade Grades: Thunder Trades Serge Ibaka To Magic

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic made a draft-day trade that will affect a title contender and jumpstart a promising young roster into the playoff mix. Here are some NBA Trade Grades.

During Thursday night’s 2016 NBA Draft, teams drafted players that they hope will become a factor that helps them towards championship contention.

One move was made that will impact the league in a major way.

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, who was taken with the 11th pick in the draft. Here’s a look at some NBA Trade Grades for both sides.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder filled their biggest hole at shooting guard, which was evident in their Western Conference Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder took a 3-1 lead in the series when Thunder shooting guards Andre Roberson and Dion Waiters were playing well above their level of play throughout the regular season.

More from NBA

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• Constructing the NBA’s perfect all-under-25 starting five

In the final three games, Roberson and Waiters turned back into weaknesses for the Thunder, resulting in their epic collapse.

Oladipo should solidify the shooting guard position for the Thunder, something they haven’t had since James Harden was with the team. Oladipo brings the defense, athleticism and energy that Roberson provided, but is also a much better scoring threat.

Oladipo isn’t a good shooter, but he’s an upgrade over what the Thunder have had previously. Oladipo has improved his three-point percentage in each of his three NBA seasons and if he can continue that trend from last year’s 34.8 percent, he’ll add an extra dimension to an already deadly Thunder offense.

With the addition of Oladipo, the Thunder don’t lose their edge defensively at the wing but drastically improved their offense.

(Graphic in tweet from Royce Young, ESPN.)

Also, the Thunder added some side pieces that could be valuable.

The Thunder added some youth by drafting Domantas Sabonis with the 11th pick. Sabonis is the son of former Lithuanian and Trail Blazers star Arvydas Sabonis.

As a sophomore, Domantas Sabonis averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for Gonzaga. Sabonis comes into the league with an NBA body at 6’10” and 231 pounds.

Sabonis runs the floor well for a power forward, defends well both in the post and on the perimeter. He has a knack for rebounding, evidenced by his 14.8 rebounds per 40 minutes at Gonzaga.

Live Feed

FanSided

Sabonis is an impressive player who could be a long-time starter in the league, and is well-equipped to become a modern power forward who can play inside and outside. I’d expect him to be a cog in the Thunder rotation immediately, with the potential to start in a couple years.

The addition of Ersan Ilyasova presents some options for the Thunder. He is owed $8.4 million for the upcoming season and is set to become a free agent a year from now. However, only $400,000 of that is guaranteed for this season, meaning the Thunder could waive him to save money to add more talent in free agency. They could also trade him to a team hoping to add cap space.

Ilyasova has been an inconsistent player who provides spacing. Ilyasova had a promising 2011-12 season in which he averaged 17 points and 11.5 rebounds per 46 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent on three-pointers.

Unfortunately, that’s been his career peak and he’s been a liability on the defensive end.

The Thunder could hold on to him as a rotation stretch forward or let him go as they search for a better option to replace the departed Ibaka as the team’s power forward.

Another thing that makes this trade favorable for the Thunder is the factor of Kevin Durant’s free agency.

The Thunder franchise hinges on Durant’s decision in free agency. Reports of discontent in the Ibaka-Durant relationship came out almost immediately after the trade.

Replacing Ibaka with a talented wing and lottery pick are probably more attractive than playing with Ibaka if reports of strains in their relationship are true. Anything that helps the chances that Durant stays with the Thunder should be ruled as a positive move for them.

Also, the trade would help them retool with younger players with higher ceilings than Ibaka, perhaps avoiding a full on rebuild if Durant were to leave in free agency. Russell Westbrook and Ibaka will both be unrestricted free agents after next season and if Durant left and Westbrook and Ibaka followed suit after next season, the Thunder would be left bare of their star core.

Grade: A-

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic solved a few issues in this trade.

They had a glut at the wings that resulted in last year’s fifth overall pick Mario Hezonja playing a role that seemed to change by the week. 23-year-old Evan Fournier had a breakout season, averaging 15.4 points per game while providing a much-needed shooting presence next to their shooting-challenged point guard, Elfrid Payton.

Now the wings appear to be solidified for new coach Frank Vogel, with Hezonja and Fournier being the starting wings for the Magic.

Oladipo and Payton didn’t mesh well and with Nikola Vucevic operating mostly in the paint, the Magic weren’t primed to space the floor well for players who need spacing to be at their most effective. With Fournier, Hezonja, and Ibaka spacing the floor, Payton will have lanes to penetrate and Vucevic will have room to operate in the paint.

Ibaka is the ideal complement to Vucevic, who is known as an offensively-gifted but defensive liability, much like Thunder center Enes Kanter.

Live Feed

Orlando Magic Daily

Vucevic provides low post scoring and the ability to hit a midrange jumper. Ibaka can step out and knock down shots from the outside and is good in pick-and-roll situations. Vucevic can’t protect the rim, while Ibaka is a three-time All-Defensive First Team member, two-time blocks leader and one of the best rim protectors in the league.

It’s an ideal pairing and one that should be great for Frank Vogel, who has continually coached teams who led the league in defense with rim protectors like Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi.

Why only a B- grade?

Ibaka will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and Oladipo and the 11th pick are a lot to give up for a player who could bolt after one season, especially if this season doesn’t end in a playoff appearance.

The Magic had a solid collection of young talent with Payton, Oladipo, Fournier, Hezonja, Vucevic and Aaron Gordon and were going to add another one with the 11th pick. At some point, you’ve got too many young guys (many of whom didn’t fit well together) and you have to make the jump from lottery team to playoff team.

The trade was something that had to happen eventually in order to make this happen, and they found a player who would seem to mesh well with what is already in place.

However if Oladipo continues to develop, Sabonis turns into a solid pro, and Ibaka bolts in free agency, then the Magic can’t feel good about this trade in a year or two, can they?

More hoops habit: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: An Early Look Ahead

It’s a calculated risk and one that makes a ton of basketball sense, but it’s a risky one to give up two young and talented players for what could be a one-year rental of a fringe All-Star talent.

Grade: B-