As Oklahoma City continues to field offers for Russell Westbrook, they’ve made another trade that will make it easier to do so. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi reported on Monday that the Thunder have sent Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets for a 2020 first-round pick. It is the sixth future first rounder the Thunder have received in the past week after securing a haul from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Paul George trade.
Oklahoma City Is trading F Jerami Grant to Denver for a 2020 first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Deal brings OKC it’s sixth future first in past week and saves Thunder $39M in salary and luxury tax.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2019
The Thunder are now just $2.25 million over the tax line, per our own Jeff Siegel. Grant averaged a career high 13.6 points per game last season while shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc, and will make a strong wing addition off the bench for the Nuggets.
With the addition of the Nuggets first rounder, the Thunder are now awash in future first rounders, with more potentially incoming if they can find a suitor for Westbrook this week.
OKC 1st-round picks:
– 2020 Own (1-20 only)
– 2020 DEN (protections TBD)
– 2021 Own
– 2021 MIA
– 2022 LAC
– 2022 Own (1-14 only)
– 2023 Own (with LAC swap right)
– 2023 MIA (lotto protected)
– 2024 Own
– 2024 LAC
– 2025 Own (with LAC swap right)
– 2026 Own
– 2026 LAC— Albert Nahmad (@AlbertNahmad) July 8, 2019
The Houston Rockets have been linked to Westbrook, as have the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons. Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the second straight season last year, but shot just 42.8 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep. The Thunder were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Portland Trail Blazers.
