Report: Thunder Sending Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Bulls
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Oklahoma City Thunder are parting ways with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot — sending him and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for a protected second round draft pick (1-55*) in 2020. The Thunder’s roster stands at 13 players after the move, leaving two open spots ahead of next week’s trade deadline and the buyout market that will follow.
*Very unlikely to convey
Oh, and there’s money being saved too. ESPN’s Bobby Marks breaks down the financial side:
Oklahoma City will save $7.3M towards the luxury tax with the trade of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot trade to Chicago. The Thunder now have a tax bill of $66.15M and have also created a $1.5M trade exception. The Thunder also have a $10.8M trade exception available to use. Oklahoma City now has 13 players under contract and will have two weeks to fill a roster spot.Bobby Marks / ESPN
According to Marks, the Thunder’s tax bill was at $149.3 million on July 13 — about $83 million more than where it’s at after today’s move.
As required by the CBA, Oklahoma City now has two weeks to add a 14th player to the roster — which could be as simple as calling up Deonte Burton or Donte Grantham from the G-League. However, with it being trade season, there are a couple of more exciting options on the table, as well.
Due to a flurry of activity/rumored activity around the league, it will be interesting to see if moving TLC was simply a money-saving maneuver or an indication of something bigger yet to materialize. Sam Presti has until February 7 (next Thursday) at 2:00 PM CST to add to his roster via trade. He may also wait and see what becomes available on the buyout market, as names like Wesley Matthews have begun floating around as possible candidates. The Thunder have a tax payer’s Mid-Level Exception worth $5.3 million for such an occasion.
Luwawu-Cabarrot leaves Oklahoma City after just 21 appearances this season, averaging 1.7 PPG in a little less than six minutes per contest. He had been out of the rotation almost entirely since late November.
