Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 trades team should make before deadline
By Tony Pesta
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
Behind huge contributions from Paul George, the Oklahoma City Thunder have looked like real threats to make a push for an NBA championship this season. George is playing at a career-high level and is phenomenal on both offense and defense.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook has seemingly taken a backseat and prioritized winning over anything else. This has put the Thunder in a great position to win. However, OKC will still need some extra firepower before it can be legit a contender.
The Thunder currently have the fourth-lowest scoring bench in the entire league at 31.1 points per game. By adding Jordan Clarkson, a player who is averaging 16.8 points a night off the bench for Cleveland, the Thunder would be solving their bench issues.
Meanwhile, OKC also adds Ante Zizic, who has shown flashes of offensive potential in his limited minutes for the Cavaliers. Zizic is putting up 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds a night in just 15.8 minutes of playing time.
In exchange, the Cavaliers acquire Patrick Patterson, Alex Abrines, Hamidou Diallo and a 2024 first round draft pick. Abrines and Diallo are two decent young assets, while Patterson provides some veteran leadership. The 2024 first round pick is what tops it all off for Cleveland, who will need this pick to help continue to rebuild their franchise.