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What's the rumor?
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been surprisingly good throughout the first half of the season, and Billy Donovan's team currently sit 7th in the Western Conference standings with a 26-19 record. However, the Thunder are currently in rebuild mode following the departures of Russell Westbrook and Paul George last summer, and Marc Stein of the New York Times is reporting that Steven Adams has been made available for trade:
In case you didn't know...
The Thunder selected Adams with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and the Kiwi has been a regular starter since his sophomore year. Notably, Adams played a huge role in the 2016 playoffs as the Thunder came within a game of reaching the Finals - and his performances were subsequently rewarded with a four-year, $100 million contract extension.
However, while Adams has continued to improve, his future has been called into question following the offseason departures of George and Westbrook. The 26-year-old is owed $27 million for the 2020-21 season, and it appears that the Thunder are eager to offload him in order to speed up their ongoing rebuild.
The heart of the matter
Despite averaging a relatively low 26.9 minutes per contest this season, Adams has continued to perform well, averaging 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. Nevertheless, while his ball-handling skills have shown signs of improvement, Adams remains a throwback big that has yet to develop a perimeter shot.
The Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and LA Clippers have been mentioned as potential destinations, although it remains to be seen if teams will be willing to meet OKC's potentially large trade demands.
What's next?
The Thunder will be looking to pick up a fourth consecutive win on Friday when they take on the Atlanta Hawks.
