The 2019 NBA trade deadline has finally arrived and it is shaping up to be quite a busy day around the league as many believe there could be at least eight to 10 deals that are finalized by the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Some teams have already got a head start on the action after completing deals as players like Tobias Harris, Harrison Barnes, Otto Porter Jr., Stanley Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Ryan Anderson and Thon Maker are among those already on the move.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have apparently been active in recent discussions as the team has been linked to quite a few players still on the trading block as general manager Sam Presti looks to upgrade the roster.
One player the Thunder have been linked to is Wayne Ellington. The Miami Heat traded him along with Tyler Johnson to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Ryan Anderson on Wednesday night. Ellington and his agent are apparently going to work toward his release from the Suns and, if that happens, the Thunder will be among the teams interested in him.
As a primer, the Thunder are armed with a $10.8 million trade exception created in the deal involving Carmelo Anthony and have two open roster spots available.
With the bulk of the trades set to be executed on Thursday, here is a recap of the players that have been linked to the Thunder in the days leading up the deadline (that haven’t been traded yet).
Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks
The third-year forward out of Baylor has been linked to the Thunder in two separate reports in recent weeks, with the most recent report surfacing earlier this week.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer initially reported last month that the Thunder have shown interest in Prince as a ‘3-and-D’ player as the Hawks may eventually decide to move on from the former No. 12 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Prince is averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while he is shooting 37.4 percent from 3-point range in 32 games this season for the Hawks.
He could be someone the Thunder target via trade either this season or beyond and would appear to be a good fit for the team given his versatility and ability to shoot.
As O’Connor reported the interest with Oklahoma City last month, Brian Windhorst of ESPN speculated on his podcast Monday that Prince would make sense for the Thunder to pursue.
Given that there have been two reports that have surfaced linking the Thunder to Prince, the team very well could be targeting a deal for him by the trade deadline.
Wesley Matthews, New York Knicks
A report by Marc Stein of the New York Times surfaced on Monday that indicated the New York Knicks are exploring the trade market for newly-acquired Wesley Matthews.
The Knicks acquired Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Matthews from the Dallas Mavericks in the trade involving Kristaps Porzingis as Jordan and Matthews were thought to be candidates for a buyout but the organization will apparently attempt to trade Matthews first.
If they cannot trade him, the Knicks will likely try to buy him out.
Prior to being dealt to the Knicks, Matthews was averaging 13.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. The 6-foot-5 guard has established himself as a prototypical ‘3-and-D’ player that can shoot and defend at a high level.
Given a need for additional shooting, it appears as though Matthews would be a good option for the Thunder to pursue but the team could have a difficult time signing him if he is bought out since there are apparently at least four other teams interested in him.
While the Thunder could certainly attempt to trade for him, Matthews could ultimately be just a rental player since he is in the last year of his contract and is due $18,622,514 this season so they may wait and see if he eventually hits the buyout market.
Anthony Tolliver, Minnesota Timberwolves
While the Thunder have been linked to quite a few players recently, some of those guys have since been traded, like Rodney Hood, Alec Burks and Wayne Ellington.
However, a new name surfaced late Wednesday night.
According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis, the Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks are two teams that have “kicked the tires” on Timberwolves power forward Anthony Tolliver.
The 11-year veteran has played sparingly this season for Minnesota after averaging 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 37 games but he has shot 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
Tolliver is on a one-year, $5.75 million contract and the Timberwolves are likely to move him as an expiring contract for a draft pick if they can potentially pick one up.
The apparent attraction with Tolliver is that he would give the Thunder an additional shooter and would likely be a cheap acquisition, perhaps for a protected second-round pick.
The Timberwolves could become sellers at the trade deadline Thursday so they may be a team worth watching that shakes things up a bit with a few moves.
With the trade deadline at 3 p.m. Thursday, the Thunder figure to be active around the league and could look to make a move at some point in order to upgrade the roster.
