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What's the rumor?
Andre Roberson has not played since rupturing his left patellar tendon against the Detroit Pistons back in January 2018, and there are doubts whether the 28-year-old will ever take to the court again. With the Thunder still over the luxury tax, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report believes that the general manager Sam Presti could trade the injured shooting guard ahead of the trade deadline:
It was anticipated that general manager Sam Presti would be prepared to flip both center Steven Adams and forward Danilo Gallinari for future assets, but with the Thunder unexpectedly entrenched as a playoff team, rival executives could see Presti limiting his activity to moving Andre Roberson and his expiring $10.7 million contract
In case you didn't know...
Roberson was by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 26th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and was immediately acquired by the Thunder. The Colorado Buffaloes product struggled for minutes during his rookie campaign, although he was installed as a starter during the 2014-15 campaign, and quickly developed into one of the best lockdown defenders in the league.
During the 2017-18 season, Roberson was playing the best basketball of his career on a Thunder team that could call upon the 'Big Three' of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. However, he ruptured his left patellar tendon on Jan .27 against the Pistons, and the guard has suffered a series of setbacks over the past 24 months.
After missing the entire 2018-19 campaign, Roberson was expected to return in September, although he is currently completing his rehab away from the team - with no return date in sight.
The heart of the matter
Roberson was a vital piece on a contending team, although the Thunder have entered rebuild mode during the two years since his injury - and it makes little sense to hold onto his expiring contract if it means paying the luxury tax. Ultimately, Thunder fans have long been routing for Roberson to return to the court, although it appears that he has already played his final game for the team.
What's next?
The Thunder are back in action on Wednesday as they take on the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers.
