Pointless Trade Idea

Hornets get Serge Ibaka (1yr/$12.3m); Thunder get Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (4yrs/$13m per (4th year player option)).

The Thunder are Durant/Westbrook's team now and it feels like they're well past the days of relying on vets (Kendrick Perkins, Derek Fisher, etc) to take the heat off the court or be leaders in the locker room. Quite the opposite: it is time to openly acknowledge they are the undisputed co-alpha dogs and surround them with young sycophants will do as they are told. And since it feels like Kanter and Adams have basically usurped Ibaka's contribution, why not move him in his last year and bring back a young buck signed long term? MKG would give OKC wing defense without needing the ball on offense and without upsetting the vibe in the locker room. So far the knock on MKG is his lack of offensive prowess, but on OKC that is plus, not a minus (and I think he would score in a Kanter-like way around the basket).

For the Hornets, Ibaka fits everything that GM Michael Jordan loves in a player: tall guy that can handle the ball and shoot the 3 (well...he's not white, but he does satisfy all of Jordan's other fetishes). It would be foolish for the Hornets to give up a young signed talent unless they could be sure that Ibaka would sign a 2-4 year deal after this year. But if Ibaka was game for it, he'd be a good fit for the Hornets in a way that he isn't any longer on OKC.

The salaries don't perfectly match but in an expanded salary cap summer, I don't think that would present a problem for either team. I think this deal makes both teams better next year and beyond. I like this deal and it is extremely do-able.