National Basketball Association

Joffrey Lauvergne: Thunder trade for Nuggets center

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sam Presti made yet another move on Tuesday, trading for Denver Nuggets center Joffrey Lauvergne. But does the move make sense?

Joffrey Lauvergne? Really?

Apr 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Joffrey Lauvergne (77) puts on a protective mask in the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at the Pepsi Center. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Out of all the needs in OKC, they decide on ANOTHER big. The trade moves the roster to 16 guaranteed contracts and 6 power forwards/centers (not including Ersan Ilyasova).

Now this has nothing to do with Joffrey Lauvergne as a player. Lauverge-like everyone else on the Thunder-is a system player. He provides OKC with a shooting big; he shot 51% from the field and 90% from the line last season.

For Lauvergne, the Thunder had to give up two second round picks in next year’s draft. Because of Oklahoma City’s extreme depth, losing both picks isn’t much of a hindrance to the organization. Because of restricted free agency and rookie contracts, OKC has control of 11 players for the next three seasons.

As mentioned earlier, the roster is now at 16 players under guaranteed contracts. Sam Presti is going to have to trim the roster by October 26th (the Thunder’s first game) by NBA rules.

Knowing Presti, he will want to get the most value for a player. That means someone is getting traded before the season starts. But more on that later.

Back to Joffrey Lauvergne

Lauvergne is a great fit for a run-and-gun team needing help at the center position. But that’s not Oklahoma City.

Even still, he’s a good fit for the Thunder system.

Right now, the Thunder need a small forward. Like so bad that we debated between Kyle Singler and Josh Huestis. Sam Presti is a GM who always maximizes his value, so it’s likely that two players will be traded in exchange for a starting caliber small forward.

So who are the likely players to get traded? Check back tomorrow for the answer ????