Why and where the Oklahoma City Thunder could trade D.J. Augustin.
D.J. Augustin’s time in Oklahoma City is coming to an end soon, or at least it should be.
Augustin was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder last season in the three-team deal that also netted them Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler. Augustin was an excellent piece in the trade, since the Thunder gave up their backup point guard in Reggie Jackson in order to make the deal.
Although Augustin was having a good year for the Detroit Pistons at the time of the trade, his transition to Oklahoma City wasn’t as successful. In 24 minutes a game, he was only able to put up 7.3 points and 3.1 assists per game on 37.1 percent shooting.
This season hasn’t gone much better for Augustin, who has recently seen his already-limited playing time be taken away by rookie Cameron Payne.
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Augustin has struggled this season, putting up 4.4 points per game on 37.9 percent shooting. The combination of Augustin’s struggles and the emergence of Payne have made D.J. an expendable piece of the Thunder roster. With the trade deadline looming at just over a month away, it’s time for the Thunder front office to get busy in order to bolster the roster for the playoff push.
Even though Augustin has struggled since arriving to Oklahoma City, he has shown in the past that he is quite capable of being a productive backup point guard, and can be a solid starter if put in the right situation.
OKC general manager Sam Presti should strike while Augustin’s stock still has some value and explore possible trade destinations. Augustin’s contract also expires following this season, which makes it a lot easier to trade and more appealing to teams around the league.
There are multiple teams who could be in the market for a point guard if the price is right, and now would be the ideal time to explore these options.
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