Agree. The only thing is thunder might be better in a couple of years. But that will not keep Durant..
Oladipo is a very good player but I think this move is underrated for the Magic. I actually really like this deal for Orlando. Ibaka really shores up that front court and now the Magic are set in that regard. Ersan, Aaron Gordon, Ibaka, Vuc. That's a nice combination of size, athleticism, defense, offense, youth, experience and so on. They have the ability to play half court with Vuc or they can go "small" but still super athletic and long with Gordon/Ibaka at the 4/5 and run teams to death. I think people say this is a bad move for Orlando because they shipped their GO-TO player but they can easily fill that void by resigning Fournier to a reasonable contract and still go all in for a player like DeRozan or roll the dice on Brad Beal and maybe even go after Parsons if they so choose. I like baby Sabonis but they don't got time to develop him in addition to everyone else who is still young for the most part on that team. Furthermore, trading Oladipo gives Elf P and AG more looks and opportunities. I think they're both special talents and definitely deserve more attention which they'll get with Oladipo gone. I look at the Oladipo trade as more of a KD insurance move in case he leaves. It will be difficult for all 3 WB/Oladipo/KD to get "theirs" since they all like creating their own shot opportunities.
The eternal issue I have with this is more than just Oladipo, it is a combination of things. I don't think Ibaka makes them a playoff team first of all and he's a one year rental. I don't think this moves the needle for them. Maybe I'm wrong but we'll see. Also, he's a one year rental...for what exactly? A great role player? If they gave up one of Oladipo or Sabonis then this is a great move. As it stands now though they just gave up two of their most valuable assets for a one year rental. If they were a team a piece away from contention...then I'd get it. But they are a rebuilding team and trading away Oladipo AND Sabonis is a massive risk...and the return for that risk is a role player...a great role player I'll give you that but still... I don't see how they just sit on Dipo and Sabonis and wait for a better deal for Oladipo and at least wait to see what they have in Sabonis.
Also, let's not forget OKC has been looking for that 3rd guy ever since they lost Harden and it hasn't been as easy as it was initially thought to be. Kevin Martin didn't fit as nice as we all thought and Dion Waiters has been a bust for them. Waiters and Oladipo actually remind me a bit of each other. Obviously Oladipo is the better player but there was a lot of excitement in OKC when they first got Waiters and if was a big deal around the league. The last thing they expected was an inconsistent player that would be better suited off the bench. We'll see how well Oladipo fits but I'd be cautiously optimistic/excited if I were a Thunder fan.
I don't think English is Malakas first language but I could very well be wrong, even still she speaks it better than a lot of people here and if she told me it was her first language I'd be fooled. I'm not white knighting or anything but it's a pet peeve when bilingual people get made fun of for spelling a word wrong or phrasing something incorrectly. Learning languages is not some easy task, especially the older you get... Even so, DEFENCE is the correct way to spell it in British English. So...yeah...
Worst case scenario they'll have lots of cap room but IMO I think it has more to do with seeing just how good Payton and Aaron Gordon are and Oladipo just happened to be the odd man out although I really liked the core of all 3 of them together but Ibaka brings veteran leadership and lots of playoff experience which can't be duplicated on that current roster. Going back to Payton and AG. I think AG is the next big thing and he's gonna have a breakout year this upcoming season. I'm expecting s giant spike in all his numbers and he's my pick for most improved player.
The million dollar question here is.. Do ya'll think this trade affects Durant's decision in a positive or negative way?
I pondered that too and I just finally assumed Presti and co consulted with Durant before they signed off on the deal. It would be very foolish not to ask for Durant's input during these sensitive times but I'm wondering if I'm assuming wrong and giving OKC management the benefit of the doubt. Ibaka has played with KD his whole career and I'm sure they have a tight bond since they go back and bring different things to the team. Would be nice if it turns out Presti "blew it" again and KD leaves for that reason.
Fournier isn't going to sign for a reasonable contract. He already rejected 18 per or so. He wants MAX. Now he even has the leverage. Esp since Orlando must do whatever possible to reach the playoffs to convince Ibaka to stay. Furthermore what makes you think that Orlando can be a magnet for FAs? They haven't reached the playoffs for years. Why would any star go there? Except maybe Parsons. The risk of losing Ibaka for nothing next summer is extremely high. That's the problem with Orlando. Otherwise the fit with Ibaka next to Vuc is near perfect and it can help AG as well. Agree about AG but why build around Payton? Payton is a pg who can't finish, shoot and on top of that this year he seriously regressed in defence as well. It caused Skiles to put him in the doghouse behind Brandon Jennings who played like crap. He had stopped even trying at all. Building around such a pg no matter how good of a playmaker he is, it's extremely difficult and not worth it. I can think it of both ways. On one hand if he wasn't consulted before the trade at all and it came as a complete surprise, he may see it as betrayal to his friend or something. On the other hand Durant really LIKES oladipo. He has spoken after the OKC-MAGIC games which btw end up always being one of the best in RS, great words about him, he has given him advice, complimented him. IMO it's more likely to affect him in a positive way than a negative. It's obvious that Ibaka wanted more of a role to be a 1st or 2nd banana and he may already thinking that with that core they weren't winning. Also Ibaka had real issues for most of the year with Donovan's coaching because Donovan wanted his bigs to pass and Ibaka doesnt' have high enough bball iq to make it work.
Thanx JayGoogle. Yes english is not my first language. I also have learned to spell defence like that from english school so I dont' even do it as spelling mistake. It's the way I have learned it. However I don't see how it affects talking about Oladipo defence?? If you ask most Magic fans they will tell you themselves that while Oladipo can make highlights he is not a good defender. And it's a shame really. Because he was projected to be and he has the wingspan and athleticism to be. But be it because of the mess that the Magic have been, or his own lack of focusing to be a 2-way player he hasn't advanced in that area.
