What am I not seeing in this Ibaka Oladipo trade??

[AintNoSunshine]

Everyone is saying how Thunder raped Magic in this trade. I get it if it's from the perspective that Oladipo is younger and has more talent or upside.

But I just fail to see why this would make Thunder any better. They gave up a player who does the dirty work and does not demand the ball, while adding someone who does on top of Westbrook and Waiters.

They still don't have a quintessential point guard to run sht but will have 3 guards who only knows how to operate when they have the ball.

Can someone explain to me?

[NBAGOAT]

what you're not seeing Ibaka doesn't do nearly the amount of 30 work he used too. On offense, he's mainly a floor spreader which is nice but his rebounding is now not very good. Doesn't block as many shots as he used to either, Adams does their dirty work and Kanter is pretty great at rebounding too. I think Waiters is going see way less minutes now so that makes the situation better.

[Ben Simmons]

It's not that it makes the THunder better, it's just that the Magic traded for a player who's not that gonna make them contenders and is an unrestricted free agent.

[AintNoSunshine]

what you're not seeing Ibaka doesn't do nearly the amount of 30 work he used too. On offense, he's mainly a floor spreader which is nice but his rebounding is now not very good. Doesn't block as many shots as he used to either, Adams does their dirty work and Kanter is pretty great at rebounding too. I think Waiters is going see way less minutes now so that makes the situation better.

OK I got it. But that's just how he's utilized. I think he's at the corner because he's asked to. As opposed to he somehow forgot how to offensive rebound or he is incapable of developing his post game.

Isn't on the coach or the system they run as opposed to his skillset deteriorates? If he is utilized differently he can still be the player he was going to be I think.

[Jameerthefear]

No team really killed the trade but the Magic lost it pretty badly since Ibaka will leave after this season.

[NBAGOAT]

OK I got it. But that's just how he's utilized. I think he's at the corner because he's asked to. As opposed to he somehow forgot how to offensive rebound or he is incapable of developing his post game.

Isn't on the coach or the system they run as opposed to his skillset deteriorates? If he is utilized differently he can still be the player he was going to be I think.

it's just tough to how two big men both play inside in today's game. Playing with Vucevic, pretty sure he'll play similarly. Also it seems like he's not as athletic as he used to be and some people think it's because he's older than he's actually listed(like 30 instead of 26).

[greymatter]

It's hard to say, but the bottom line is that Orlando had given up on Oladipo. His growth curve suggests that he'll never be an efficient scorer and he's a TO machine as well. The ceiling simply isn't that high. He is basically a crappier version of Dion Waiters on offense. His good defense isn't enough to offset that.

He's also looking to get paid after his rookie contract expires. I wouldn't want to even pony up 10M a year for this guy let alone the likely 15-18M he will be seeking.

Really have no idea on why Orlando would ship Sabonis out unless they didn't think he'd be able to get any playing time at all behind Vucevic, Ibaka, and Aaron Gordon.

Likely just gearing up for the cap space increase in 17-18 and hoping for a better draft.

[Fudge]

Except Waiters is a free agent (RFA at that) but is now more likely on his way out.

Makes perfect sense. Ibaka was on a downward spiral the past three years. He's supposed to be hitting his prime/peak years, but instead it's become the opposite.

He's such an overrated defender. Not disciplined at all. Great help side defender, but one on one in the post? The opposing player has almost a guaranteed bucket or free throws.

Thunder add more depth, and can fully expand Kanter's role on the team, even if it is still coming off the bench.

Plus, Ibaka was most likely going to walk next summer anyways.

PG - Westbrook/Payne
SG - Oladipo/Roberson/Morrow
SF - Durant?/Singler
PF - Ilyasova/Kanter
C - Adams/Sabonis

PRESTI is a God. :bowdown:

[Jameerthefear]

what you're not seeing Ibaka doesn't do nearly the amount of 30 work he used too. On offense, he's mainly a floor spreader which is nice but his rebounding is now not very good. Doesn't block as many shots as he used to either, Adams does their dirty work and Kanter is pretty great at rebounding too. I think Waiters is going see way less minutes now so that makes the situation better.
nah Ibaka is still very necessary on that Thunder team IMO. they're probably too cheap to pay him after this season though and they knew that plus he was unhappy apparently so at the very least they'll get something out of an expiring contract.

[Jameerthefear]

It's hard to say, but the bottom line is that Orlando had given up on Oladipo. His growth curve suggests that he'll never be an efficient scorer and he's a TO machine as well. The ceiling simply isn't that high. He is basically a crappier version of Dion Waiters on offense. His good defense isn't enough to offset that.

He's also looking to get paid after his rookie contract expires. I wouldn't want to even pony up 10M a year for this guy let alone the likely 15-18M he will be seeking.

Really have no idea on why Orlando would ship Sabonis out unless they didn't think he'd be able to get any playing time at all behind Vucevic, Ibaka, and Aaron Gordon.

Likely just gearing up for the cap space increase in 17-18 and hoping for a better draft.
he's definitely better than dion on both sides of the ball so that was dumb
he had a career high in TS% last season and was definitely improving. time will tell. now as a 3/4th option he has less to worry about though. i really wish him the best

[KDthunderup]

Ibaka is actually like 29-30

[AintNoSunshine]

Except Waiters is a free agent (RFA at that) but is now more likely on his way out.

Makes perfect sense. Ibaka was on a downward spiral the past three years. He's supposed to be hitting his prime/peak years, but instead it's become the opposite.

He's such an overrated defender. Not disciplined at all. Great help side defender, but one on one in the post? The opposing player has almost a guaranteed bucket or free throws.

Thunder add more depth, and can fully expand Kanter's role on the team, even if it is still coming off the bench.

Plus, Ibaka was most likely going to walk next summer anyways.

PG - Westbrook/Payne
SG - Oladipo/Roberson/Morrow
SF - Durant?/Singler
PF - Ilyasova/Kanter
C - Adams/Sabonis

PRESTI is a God. :bowdown:

Even so you can't say you really like the Westbrook/Oladipo backcourt do you? Their games exactly overlap and just don't provide any spacing.

Make zero sense at all to me, but maybe it's just me because no one seems to echo my thoughts.

[Jameerthefear]

Even so you can't say you really like the Westbrook/Oladipo backcourt do you? Their games exactly overlap and just don't provide any spacing.

Make zero sense at all to me, but maybe it's just me because no one seems to echo my thoughts.
ironically enough fournier would have been a better fit. magic will keep evan though and that's a good thing.

[KDthunderup]

ironically enough fournier would have been a better fit. magic will keep evan though and that's a good thing.
Evan has less defensive versatility than Dipo, within our defensive scheme it's what we need.

[Jameerthefear]

Evan has less defensive versatility than Dipo, within our defensive scheme it's what we need.
meh. evan can guard 2/3
not as well as dipo most definitely, but probably as well as dion did last year.

[Fudge]

Even so you can't say you really like the Westbrook/Oladipo backcourt do you? Their games exactly overlap and just don't provide any spacing.
Neither did a Westbrook/Waiters backcourt, but as you seen in the playoffs, they made it work.

They actually played much better with Waiters on the court. And Oladipo > Waiters at pretty much every facet of the game.

[moongaze]

it's just tough to how two big men both play inside in today's game. Playing with Vucevic, pretty sure he'll play similarly. Also it seems like he's not as athletic as he used to be and some people think it's because he's older than he's actually listed(like 30 instead of 26).
He had knee surgery

[KDthunderup]

He had knee surgery
Yeah and struggling to recover from that suggests he is older than 26, pretty sure it wasn't major surgery.

[DMAVS41]

It's not about the players so much. Ibaka is still really good and would help almost any team.

It's that the Magic just gave up two real assets for an expiring Ibaka...and they aren't contenders. It's just a ton to give up for a player that doesn't put you over the top and might leave in 1 year. And if he doesn't leave...do you feel comfortable paying him like 25 to 30 million a year long term to keep him.

And in addition to that, Oladipo and Sabonis is a high price to pay for Ibaka.

Hence it's an awful trade.

[greymatter]

he's definitely better than dion on both sides of the ball so that was dumb


Can't say that until we see how he plays in OKC. If Orlando simply was a bad fit, it will show.



he had a career high in TS% last season and was definitely improving. time will tell. now as a 3/4th option he has less to worry about though. i really wish him the best

Most players that evolve into AS caliber players experience their biggest leaps in improvement some time in between their 2-3rd years. Dipo just simply doesn't have it. He still has room to grow, but that ceiling isn't AS level. He's like Tristan Thompson. He'll never be a guy who is more than 2-3 wins above replacement level. He'll fall into the rapidly growing category of players who are expecting to be overpaid for only being marginally above average. Whenever a team overpays a crappy role player who can't start for 80% of the league (hi Shumpbert), a slightly above average player starts demanding to be paid in the neighborhood of 20+% of the team salary cap.

The NBA is a star driven league. LBJ, Curry, KD, WB, AD....these guys deserve to get their max contracts for ~30% of the salary cap. With the increased cap, Lebron is going to command 30+M per year and someone like Vucevic will command 20-23M per year. This development is just plain retarded. Teams will be stuck paying 90% of their cap to 3-4 players while trying to fill out the other 8-12 rosters spots with the league minimums.

But this tangential to the OP. This needs its own thread.

[KDthunderup]

Can't say that until we see how he plays in OKC. If Orlando simply was a bad fit, it will show.



Most players that evolve into AS caliber players experience their biggest leaps in improvement some time in between their 2-3rd years. Dipo just simply doesn't have it. He still has room to grow, but that ceiling isn't AS level. He's like Tristan Thompson. He'll never be a guy who is more than 2-3 wins above replacement level. He'll fall into the rapidly growing category of players who are expecting to be overpaid for only being marginally above average. Whenever a team overpays a crappy role player who can't start for 80% of the league (hi Shumpbert), a slightly above average player starts demanding to be paid in the neighborhood of 20+% of the team salary cap.

The NBA is a star driven league. LBJ, Curry, KD, WB, AD....these guys deserve to get their max contracts for ~30% of the salary cap. With the increased cap, Lebron is going to command 30+M per year and someone like Vucevic will command 20-23M per year. This development is just plain retarded. Teams will be stuck paying 90% of their cap to 3-4 players while trying to fill out the other 8-12 rosters spots with the league minimums.

But this tangential to the OP. This needs its own thread.
Dipo had a bit of a down year probably due to shitty coaching by Skiles and having his role and minutes reduced but he was one of the better shooting guards after the all-star break averaging 19.4 ppg on good efficiency.

And saying Dipo isn't better than Waiters is just flat stupid, compare the per stat on both of them. Dipo has a per of 16.8 whilst Waiters has a pathetic per of 9.4.

[Akrazotile]

I've always had a higher opinion of Ibaka as a player than most. Even if the Thunder think he isn't a good fit for their lineup anymore, I'd think they could have found a better trade than this. This seems like getting rid of Ibaka for basically nothing. I don't get it.

[DMAVS41]

I've always had a higher opinion of Ibaka as a player than most. Even if the Thunder think he isn't a good fit for their lineup anymore, I'd think they could have found a better trade than this. This seems like getting rid of Ibaka for basically nothing. I don't get it.

You think Oladipo and a top 10 pick is "nothing" for an expiring Ibaka?

Like...what?

[KDthunderup]

I've always had a higher opinion of Ibaka as a player than most. Even if the Thunder think he isn't a good fit for their lineup anymore, I'd think they could have found a better trade than this. This seems like getting rid of Ibaka for basically nothing. I don't get it.
How is Oladipo and Sabonis 'basically nothing'?. Ibaka's athleticism was declining, albeit it be from his knee injury or actually being 30 it was a concerning trend that most Thunder fans were worried about. He was also becoming frustrated with his role as a stretch 4 and was an UFA next season.

He is also one of the dumbest players in the league, there is a reason Russ and KD are constantly yelling and getting into arguments with him in the middle of games. He makes dumb decisions on both ends of the floor probably because his English still sucks and there is constant communication breakdowns.

He is awful keeping his head on a swivel, executing the offense and finding teammates when things break down, he literally can only be of help to the offense if he is wide open for a jump shot. Having dumb players who make poor choices and can't do anything with the ball when the offense breaks down is why Russ and KD are under so much pressure and it's why we blow 4th quarter leads. It's why getting a 3rd option in Oladipo makes so much sense.

Also did I mention he has bricks for hands? Ibaka probably fumbles the ball more than any forward I've seen.

Ibaka is useful for rim protection and shooting, outside of that every part of his game is average to below average.

[SwishSquared]

I really liked the value OKC got in return for Ibaka, who seemed likely to leave as an UFA and has definitely regressed the past couple seasons. Orlando seems like they're trying to force Vuc working as a starter by overpaying for Ibaka. AG has the perimeter D skillset to play SF, but I was actually hoping to see him get ton of minutes at the 4. I actually think Orlando may have been off drafting Baldwin (or trading down), signing Biyombo, and some short-term PG. Move Vuc to the bench, where he'd kill 2nd units.

From the OKC side, this was a good hedge in case Durant left- they'd have matching rights on an athletic wing that can defend decently and handle a sizeable load on O at acceptable efficiency for a 3rd option. Also, he's great friends with KD apparently, which could help keep him around. They now have a huge issue with spacing, but they should just play 4 wings around Adams now. They should look to add Lance Thomas or Solomon Hill to play the 4 full time in the starting unit imo.

[KDthunderup]

I really liked the value OKC got in return for Ibaka, who seemed likely to leave as an UFA and has definitely regressed the past couple seasons. Orlando seems like they're trying to force Vuc working as a starter by overpaying for Ibaka. AG has the perimeter D skillset to play SF, but I was actually hoping to see him get ton of minutes at the 4. I actually think Orlando may have been off drafting Baldwin (or trading down), signing Biyombo, and some short-term PG. Move Vuc to the bench, where he'd kill 2nd units.

From the OKC side, this was a good hedge in case Durant left- they'd have matching rights on an athletic wing that can defend decently and handle a sizeable load on O at acceptable efficiency for a 3rd option. Also, he's great friends with KD apparently, which could help keep him around. They now have a huge issue with spacing, but they should just play 4 wings around Adams now. They should look to add Lance Thomas or Solomon Hill to play the 4 full time in the starting unit imo.
Ilyasova and potentially Sabonis are nice options to help space the floor. Apart from the playoffs Ibaka wasn't really good at spacing the floor anyway, he only shot 32% from 3 which is only 1% higher than Roberson.

Oladipo whilst not a great shooter is still respectable from 3 and defenses won't be able to help off him like they do with Roberson and Waiters.

[Akrazotile]

My mistake, I did not realize Sabonis was the 10th overall pick. For some reason I was thinking he was a later-round throwaway (didnt follow the draft closely this year). I guess if he's got potential as a legit starter then of course that's a useful asset to get in a trade.

Oladipo tho, doesnt seem to be valuable in general and is even less useful on OKC's roster in particular. I just dont see the sense in this trade. An unknown and ilyasova/oladipo for a guy who is proved to be a solid PF. And its not as tho hes on some bloated long term deal. He expires next year. Obv okc knows their situation better than I do, but from here I just dont get the logic.

[KDthunderup]

My mistake, I did not realize Sabonis was the 10th overall pick. For some reason I was thinking he was a later-round throwaway (didnt follow the draft closely this year). I guess if he's got potential as a legit starter then of course that's a useful asset to get in a trade.

Oladipo tho, doesnt seem to be valuable in general and is even less useful on OKC's roster in particular. I just dont see the sense in this trade. An unknown and ilyasova/oladipo for a guy who is proved to be a solid PF. And its not as tho hes on some bloated long term deal. He expires next year. Obv okc knows their situation better than I do, but from here I just dont get the logic.
Sabonis is one of the most well rounded rookies who could probably contribute right away, he is the opposite of Serge in the sense that he has great feel for the game like his dad Arvydas.

He is limited by not having the longest wingspan and the greatest athletic ability (if he was a bit better in both regards he would be a top 3 pick) but he has a high motor and moves his feet well laterally for a big man so he could become a good team defender like Nick Collison was in his prime.

To me he is Kanter with a higher upside on the defensive end.

[KDthunderup]

My mistake, I did not realize Sabonis was the 10th overall pick. For some reason I was thinking he was a later-round throwaway (didnt follow the draft closely this year). I guess if he's got potential as a legit starter then of course that's a useful asset to get in a trade.

Oladipo tho, doesnt seem to be valuable in general and is even less useful on OKC's roster in particular. I just dont see the sense in this trade. An unknown and ilyasova/oladipo for a guy who is proved to be a solid PF. And its not as tho hes on some bloated long term deal. He expires next year. Obv okc knows their situation better than I do, but from here I just dont get the logic.
Dipo after the all-star break averaged 19.4 ppg on 47.5% along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.7 steals.

He is a capable defender with a 6'9 wingspan which gives him some nice defensive versatility. He only just turned 24 years old as well and by all reports has great attitude and work ethic.

He was ****ed around by Skiles but showed what he is capable of when given some faith and not dicked around by being benched.

[greymatter]

Dipo had a bit of a down year probably due to shitty coaching by Skiles and having his role and minutes reduced but he was one of the better shooting guards after the all-star break averaging 19.4 ppg on good efficiency.

And saying Dipo isn't better than Waiters is just flat stupid, compare the per stat on both of them. Dipo has a per of 16.8 whilst Waiters has a pathetic per of 9.4.

I never said Dipo is worse than Waiters. Dipo is clearly a far better defender. I only said his offense was worse, which in fact, I was wrong about for this past season. I didn't bother looking at Waiters' production this season because he came off the bench. I was comparing Dipo's offense to what I recalled from pre-Lebron's return version of Waiters (14.1 PER in 2014). They are fairly similar.

Regardless, you're just an overly hopeful Thunder fan who is talking up Dipo. The Magic dumped him for a reason. He doesn't showcase room for more than minor improvements in his game and they aren't interested in paying him big bucks because it makes no sense to mire yourself in mediocrity by overpaying for someone who'll never be better than a 3rd option on a good team.

[KDthunderup]

I never said Dipo is worse than Waiters. Dipo is clearly a far better defender. I only said his offense was worse, which in fact, I was wrong about for this past season. I didn't bother looking at Waiters' production this season because he came off the bench. I was comparing Dipo's offense to what I recalled from pre-Lebron's return version of Waiters (14.1 PER in 2014). They are fairly similar.

Regardless, you're just an overly hopeful Thunder fan who is talking up Dipo. The Magic dumped him for a reason. He doesn't showcase room for more than minor improvements in his game and they aren't interested in paying him big bucks because it makes no sense to mire yourself in mediocrity by overpaying for someone who'll never be better than a 3rd option on a good team.
:oldlol: :oldlol:

You will see just how much better Dipo is than Waiters next season. It isn't even a comparison.

[DMAVS41]

My mistake, I did not realize Sabonis was the 10th overall pick. For some reason I was thinking he was a later-round throwaway (didnt follow the draft closely this year). I guess if he's got potential as a legit starter then of course that's a useful asset to get in a trade.

Oladipo tho, doesnt seem to be valuable in general and is even less useful on OKC's roster in particular. I just dont see the sense in this trade. An unknown and ilyasova/oladipo for a guy who is proved to be a solid PF. And its not as tho hes on some bloated long term deal. He expires next year. Obv okc knows their situation better than I do, but from here I just dont get the logic.

Dipo is the exact type of player that the Thunder have been searching for. Well, exact might be strong because he's not an elite 3 point shooter. However, he's very good defensively, has the ability to create his own shot, and he's not a bad shooter.

I think he's a pretty big upgrade from Waiters.

Now, I'm not saying the Thunder get a lot better in this trade. I don't think they do. Assuming Waiters is gone...Ibaka/Waiters is a better combo than Dipo/Sabonis/Ersan.

However, this also allows the Thunder to get creative and potentially make some moves.

In addition to that, the Thunder now have a better lineup, imo, than they did with Ibaka.

WB/Dipo/Roberson/Durant/Adams...that is scary good with Durant at the 4.

Roberson still isn't ideal offensively obviously with his lack of 3 point shooting, but he is still improving...and I'd imagine he's better next year on both ends after this experience.

We'll see though...trades aren't always equal in terms of good for one and bad for the other.

This could easily be a lose / lose trade.

But for the Magic...it's almost impossible to gain anything of note. Ibaka for a 1 year rental means nothing. And Ibaka at 30 million a year on a non contending team doesn't mean much either.

[stevieming]

He's like Dion Waiters 2.0...so Dion is on the block, he must be pissed as he balled pretty well in the playoffs.

Good trade for the thunder as Ibaka is on his way down, no way he's 26, his prime was 2/3 years ago.

And like everyone said, he was discontented and would be after a big deal next year, in addition they don't need him that much now with Adams and Kanter and don't forget Mitch also...

[iamgine]

Everyone is saying how Thunder raped Magic in this trade. I get it if it's from the perspective that Oladipo is younger and has more talent or upside.

But I just fail to see why this would make Thunder any better. They gave up a player who does the dirty work and does not demand the ball, while adding someone who does on top of Westbrook and Waiters.

They still don't have a quintessential point guard to run sht but will have 3 guards who only knows how to operate when they have the ball.

Can someone explain to me?
Thunders have Andre Roberson at the 2.

He's a terrible offensive player. One of the glaring hole in the Thunders.

Now, while not perfect, Oladipo is a massive improvement while providing the same defense as Roberson.

With Stephen Adams developing as he is, they have their rim protector.

Also, Domantas Sabonis looks very promising. Him and Ersan combined certainly can replace near the same value as Ibaka with his diminished role. Remember that Ibaka hasn't been as good as before, eye test and stat wise. And not all of it seems to be coaching related.

[Overdrive]

It was a move to keep Durant obviously. Sabonis could be a 2nd Kanter at the PF position - not in style, but in role - who can actually play next to Adams. Oladipo is a mix of Roberson and Waiters, they needed that.

[stevieming]

Thunders have Andre Roberson at the 2.

He's a terrible offensive player. One of the glaring hole in the Thunders.

Now, while not perfect, Oladipo is a massive improvement while providing the same defense as Roberson.

With Stephen Adams developing as he is, they have their rim protector.

Also, Domantas Sabonis looks very promising. Him and Ersan combined certainly can replace near the same value as Ibaka with his diminished role. Remember that Ibaka hasn't been as good as before, eye test and stat wise. And not all of it seems to be coaching related.

same defense!! come on give Dre some respect here......

[tamaraw08]

Dipo is the exact type of player that the Thunder have been searching for. Well, exact might be strong because he's not an elite 3 point shooter. However, he's very good defensively, has the ability to create his own shot, and he's not a bad shooter.

I think he's a pretty big upgrade from Waiters.

Now, I'm not saying the Thunder get a lot better in this trade. I don't think they do. Assuming Waiters is gone...Ibaka/Waiters is a better combo than Dipo/Sabonis/Ersan.

However, this also allows the Thunder to get creative and potentially make some moves.

In addition to that, the Thunder now have a better lineup, imo, than they did with Ibaka.

WB/Dipo/Roberson/Durant/Adams...that is scary good with Durant at the 4.

Roberson still isn't ideal offensively obviously with his lack of 3 point shooting, but he is still improving...and I'd imagine he's better next year on both ends after this experience.

We'll see though...trades aren't always equal in terms of good for one and bad for the other.

This could easily be a lose / lose trade.

But for the Magic...it's almost impossible to gain anything of note. Ibaka for a 1 year rental means nothing. And Ibaka at 30 million a year on a non contending team doesn't mean much either.

I'm not sure I agree. Oladipo has not hit above 35% from the 3pt line in his 3 year career and it's so important for OKC to have that spacing for Westbrook to attack and punish the other team from double teaming and clogging the lanes.
I think they did it cap room reasons. I strongly believe that the most ideal player is what they call the 3 and D type, provide great defense and at the same time hit that open 3. Trevor Ariza would have been a great fit but im not sure Houston is willing to let him go.
Courtney Lee is a pretty good defender and shooter and he is a FA/.

[tpols]

ibaka was by far the thunder's best 3 pt shooter in the playoffs if you guys didnt know .. and dion shot better than dipo ever has from deep .. it's gonna be sag city with these rim runners.. nobody on this team can shoot long.

[DMAVS41]

I'm not sure I agree. Oladipo has not hit above 35% from the 3pt line in his 3 year career and it's so important for OKC to have that spacing for Westbrook to attack and punish the other team from double teaming and clogging the lanes.
I think they did it cap room reasons. I strongly believe that the most ideal player is what they call the 3 and D type, provide great defense and at the same time hit that open 3. Trevor Ariza would have been a great fit but im not sure Houston is willing to let him go.
Courtney Lee is a pretty good defender and shooter and he is a FA/.

I personally don't think a player making 35% of threes...in a scenario in which they aren't getting great looks...is bad.

I think Dipo's defense and ability to be on the court more than Waiters will really pay big dividends. I'd imagine Dipo will play roughly 33 to 35 minutes a game.

That extra 6 to 8 minutes per game will loom large imo.

Totally agree that the most ideal player is a great shooting wing player that can guard. Unfortunately there just aren't many of them.

I like Ariza, but I think the Thunder need someone that can so a bit more with the ball in that role. Ariza has hardly been lighting it up from range the last 2 years and I think Dipo is better defensively going forward.

Again, we have not seen Dipo shoot/score while playing a role like this.

I don't see why you are so harsh on a player that just shot 35% from 3 on far worse looks than Ariza got and Houston...and Ariza just shot 36% combined over the last 2 years. Dipo's efficiency from range has increased every year.

With better looks and very slight natural improvement...he could easily be shooting high 30's from 3.

[Klay 3D]

Oladipo and Ersan should've been enough. It's only horrible because they had to throw in the promising Sabonis.

[Goldrush25]

If you subscribe to the theory that Ibaka's older than he says he is, then trading him was the only option. He likely isn't getting any better, and that's a problem seeing as he's declined already these past two seasons.

[Dro]

It's hard to say, but the bottom line is that Orlando had given up on Oladipo. His growth curve suggests that he'll never be an efficient scorer and he's a TO machine as well. The ceiling simply isn't that high. He is basically a crappier version of Dion Waiters on offense. His good defense isn't enough to offset that.

He's also looking to get paid after his rookie contract expires. I wouldn't want to even pony up 10M a year for this guy let alone the likely 15-18M he will be seeking.

Really have no idea on why Orlando would ship Sabonis out unless they didn't think he'd be able to get any playing time at all behind Vucevic, Ibaka, and Aaron Gordon.

Likely just gearing up for the cap space increase in 17-18 and hoping for a better draft.
What?:biggums:

Oladipo is MUCH better on offense than Waiters, inefficient or not...

[GINOBILI!]

what you're not seeing Ibaka doesn't do nearly the amount of 30 work he used too. On offense, he's mainly a floor spreader which is nice but his rebounding is now not very good. Doesn't block as many shots as he used to either, Adams does their dirty work and Kanter is pretty great at rebounding too. I think Waiters is going see way less minutes now so that makes the situation better.
This. Ibaka is overrated because of how he played 2-3 years ago. Because of his high value, Thunder got Oladipo who is still up and coming, Iliasova (sp?) who is a solid role player, and Sabonis who has a chance to become as good as Ibaka was anyway.

[GINOBILI!]

What?:biggums:

Oladipo is MUCH better on offense than Waiters, inefficient or not...
Agreed. Oladipo is much better and now Waiters is expendable.

[HylianNightmare]

Still can't grasp this trade, ibaka is trash. Almost makes up for okc screwing up the harden trade

[OnFire]

Everyone is saying how Thunder raped Magic in this trade. I get it if it's from the perspective that Oladipo is younger and has more talent or upside.

But I just fail to see why this would make Thunder any better. They gave up a player who does the dirty work and does not demand the ball, while adding someone who does on top of Westbrook and Waiters.

They still don't have a quintessential point guard to run sht but will have 3 guards who only knows how to operate when they have the ball.

Can someone explain to me?

Ibaka 1 year left and not what he used to be or made expendable due to adams rise.

[ralph_i_el]

what you're not seeing Ibaka doesn't do nearly the amount of 30 work he used too. On offense, he's mainly a floor spreader which is nice but his rebounding is now not very good. Doesn't block as many shots as he used to either, Adams does their dirty work and Kanter is pretty great at rebounding too. I think Waiters is going see way less minutes now so that makes the situation better.

Yeah, Oladipo will take Waiters role. Ibaka is overrated and really not that good anymore.