At this point, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has accumulated so many draft picks, the reporters breaking trade news are apparently no longer trying to keep track of them.
On Friday night — the first day of NBA free agency — Presti was continuing his somewhat unprecedented wheeling and dealing, as the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to trade newly acquired James Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks in a four-team deal.
In case you didn’t realize that James Johnson was a member of the Thunder, you’re probably not alone. He was included in the deal that saw Ricky Rubio traded from Oklahoma City to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rubio, of course, was one of the primary pieces that the Thunder received from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul.
In exchange for Johnson, the Thunder will receive Trevor Ariza, Justin Jackson, and, according to the New York Times’ Marc Stein, draft compensation, the exact identification of which will come at some later point.
One more time amid the madness so we're all clear:
Dallas gets James Johnson (from OKC)
Detroit gets Delon Wright (from Dallas)
OKC gets Trevor Ariza (from Detroit), Justin Jackson (Dallas) and draft compensation to be explained later
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 21, 2020
The deal was accompanied by a separate trade involving the Thunder in which it agreed to trade Steven Adams to the New Orleans Pelicans.
What’s become clear is that Presti is using every available asset at his disposal to accumulate draft capital. The Thunder are not only embracing the prospect of rebuilding, it is also apparently committing to do it through the draft.
