Friday Bolts – 6.24.16

Chad Ford’s grade: “What a night for the Thunder. Not only did they move into the lottery

to get one of the toughest, most-skilled big men in the draft, but they also landed Victor Oladipo, a recent No. 2 pick in the draft. He will be their best 2-guard since James Harden. A Russell Westbrook-Oladipo backcourt could be devastating. The cost was high. Serge Ibaka has been a key part of the team. But the way this trade sets the Thunder up both now and in the future earns OKC an A.”

Michael Lee of The Vertical has Orlando as a loser: “Hiring Frank Vogel appeared to be the move that could get those young pieces to prosper, but the Magic abandoned another one of their promising players in Victor Oladipo as part of a deal to acquire Oklahoma City Thunder center Serge Ibaka. Getting Ibaka would make more sense if Orlando didn’t already have Aaron Gordon in the fold. Gordon, the high-flying, slam-dunk champion, couldn’t find consistent playing time until Harris moved on. Now, with Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic around, Gordon could be back to playing the waiting game. The Magic had no use for the rights to Domantas Sabonis, who was sent to the Thunder, but needed a veteran small forward rather than another big man. Sacrificing a young, potentially dynamic scorer could come back to haunt them.”

Here’s what I wrote post-trade.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider: “Meanwhile, the aging curve is upward for Oladipo, who turned 24 in May. Last season was his most efficient as an offensive player. Using fewer of the Magic’s plays (his usage declined from 25.2 percent to 22.9 percent), Oladipo posted both the best true shooting percentage and lowest turnover rate of his career. He also was better than ever on the defensive glass (where his 14.0 percent of available defensive rebounds wasn’t far off Ibaka’s 16.2 percent) and as a shot blocker (where he excels for a guard). While multi-year RPM projections suggest Ibaka (plus-1.3) should bounce back next season, Oladipo is still projected for a superior plus-1.5 RPM.”

Anthony Slater: “Just like he’ll need some time to process this trade. Durant has started alongside Ibaka in the Thunder’s frontline since February of 2011. The two aren’t particularly close off the court. But Durant is well-aware of Ibaka’s impact on it. Despite declining numbers, Ibaka still created extra space for Durant to operate and, through his defensive versatility, allowed KD to shift over to power forward in small-ball lineups. That’s tough to replace. But the emergence of Steven Adams in these playoffs makes it far easier to imagine how the Thunder will handle his departure. Along with his bruising interior presence, the athletic, 22-year-old Adams showed an ability to slide with guards on the perimeter. With this move, OKC is handing the defensive keys over to Adams, as well as the lone big man role in lineups that include Durant at the power forward, should he return.”

Tom Ziller of SB Nation: “Thunder GM Sam Presti is smart. Brilliant, perhaps. He ran the team when OKC went out on a limb to draft Russell Westbrook No. 4 and James Harden No. 3. He plucked Ibaka out of second half of the first round. He drafted Steven Adams in the late lottery. Sam Presti is savvy. He would never make a deal that would upset Durant and risk the opportunity to keep the scorer extraordinaire. In fact, any move Presti makes at this stage has to be made in an attempt to prove to Durant the Thunder are ready to take an additional step forward. OKC beat the Spurs and almost knocked out the Warriors, and the Thunder might even have been favored over the Cavaliers in the Finals. Those teams will all be back in 2016-17, and a few others expect to take an upward leap. Ibaka’s on-court production has slipped in recent years, but he’s still a phenomenal athlete who can defend near the rim and out of the perimeter. He also offers a nice release valve on the pick-and-pop.”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “For a team that won 55 games and finished one win shy of the NBA Finals, it was a stunningly significant shakeup. Ibaka, 26, had been a key component of the Thunder’s core for seven years alongside Durant and Russell Westbrook. But Ibaka had grown unhappy with his role, a person familiar with the situation told CBS Sports, and was considered likely to leave as an unrestricted free agent in 2017. Though Ibaka had not requested a trade, it was reasonable to expect that such a request could be on the horizon.”

Pelton gives OKC a B+ for the deal: “There’s risk here, no doubt about it. Ibaka was a big part of Oklahoma City’s success in the conference finals (less so against the San Antonio Spurs in the previous round). He gave the Thunder a smaller, more agile option at center against Golden State’s death lineup. And as good a fit as Oladipo is defensively, he’s not a great spot-up shooter. According to player-tracking data, he shot a blah 35.7 percent on such attempts last season, about the same as Ibaka (36.0 percent) and worse than Waiters’ 39.9 percent. Still, Presti showed his willingness to take a risk when he thought it was the right move by changing coaches before the final season of Durant’s contract. That ultimately paid off with Billy Donovan’s strong adjustments in the playoffs, and I think the odds are this one will, too.”

Berry Tramel: “Ibaka was regal and proud. Never the star, like Durant or Westbrook, but a force on defense and a talent on offense and a dresser to trump even Westbrook. The Thunder played a couple of stretches without Ibaka. The first two games of the 2014 Western Conference finals. The final 18 games of 2014-15. Neither was a pretty sight. The Thunder was blown out two straight by the Spurs in ’14, then went 10-8 down the stretch the next spring and missed the playoffs. No matter how the residents of OKC and Orlando react to the trade, this I can promise. They are dancing along the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Despite Ibaka’s impact, it seems like a solid trade. The Thunder traded a two-way interior player for a two-way perimeter player.”

Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com: “I really like the value here for Oklahoma City, as it seemed like Ibaka took a step back in 2016 from his previously lofty levels. They pick up a really strong guard prospect in Oladipo, a terrific floor-spacing four-man in Ilyasova, plus get the rights to Sabonis, who should be able to help immediately in their frontcourt in Ibaka’s absence. That’s a lot of talent for one piece, even one as skilled as Ibaka. Particularly, Sabonis and Steven Adams should pair to make for the most annoying pair of frontcourt players in NBA history due to their fiery demeanors. Plus, Oladipo is coming off of possibly his most efficient season of his career and has averaged 16 points per game over his first three years. This is a win for Oklahoma City in terms of talent acquisition, and it should help them reload on the fly if Kevin Durant leaves this offseason.”