super heavy artillery

Chapter 175 Changes in Oklahoma City
In fact, the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2016 were never safe.

During the draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the Orlando Magic. No. 11 rookie Domantas Sabonis.

And with this deal, the Thunder really made a lot of money.

Ibaka has reached the upper limit of his performance in the Thunder these years.On the defensive end, the single-defense loopholes are getting bigger and bigger, the assist defense is okay, and the rebounding ability is average.After Adams and Robertson grow up, Ibaka is no longer the indispensable core of the Thunder's rotation to help defend against monsters and protect the frame.Although he came back from injury in the 14 Western Conference Finals and forced to continue his life, the Thunder were very moved, but in order to continue to improve the strength of the team's lineup, they had to be ruthless.

The three players exchanged are very good in strength and talent.

Oladipo.A quasi-All-Star outside line with strong physical fitness and good defensive ability.As the No. 2013 pick in [-], it's worth spending time waiting for his growth and chemistry in the lineup.And the crucial point is that the Thunder probably won't renew Waiters' contract.Oladipo just made up for the vacancy in the second position.

Little Sabonis.This year's NO.11 rookie, the son of international basketball legend Arvedas Sabonis.Possesses excellent shooting skills, and is also quite experienced in transition offense and pick-and-roll.Excellent rebounding ability, especially good at grabbing offensive rebounds, and can cause trouble for opponents on the defensive end.

Ilyasova is an excellent [-]-point shooter who can space the floor, and he's also an energy-packed, hard-hitting player who fits the Thunder's style perfectly.

After this deal is concluded, the Thunder will inevitably lose part of their defense due to the loss of Ibaka, but they can make up for it from the outside.The three of Durant, Westbrook, and Oladipo all have the talent to play a terrifying rotation to oppress the defense, and it is enough to wipe the inside butt after a good polish.When necessary, Robertson can also be placed in the 4th position. This year's playoffs proved that in today's small ball lineup, he can play the role of an excellent 4th position defender.

This season, the Thunder can put on a starting lineup with Adams, Robertson, Durant, Oladipo, and Westbrook with strong offensive and defensive strengths.There are also a group of strong players like Kanter and Ilyasova on the bench, plus potential rookies like An Luo and Sabonis Jr.It doesn't look too difficult for the Thunder to hit the championship again.

It can be said that the Thunder's uniform team has tried their best to keep Durant.It's a pity that in the end, there is still no combination that can compare with Splash and Green.

No matter how hard you try, you can't keep people who want to leave.

Durant joined the Warriors as a free agent, disrupting the Thunder's arrangements.There is too much love and hatred in it.But for the parties involved, especially the management of the Thunder, they must now seriously think about what to do next season.

Fortunately, Westbrook now has enough strength to carry the team.Of course, with Durant's departure, the Thunder officially announced their withdrawal from the finals.But the future is not all bleak.The current Thunder has several talented rookies.As for the training of rookies, it is difficult to find two teams in the league that can match the Thunder.

Westbrook returned to Oklahoma City that same day.He bid farewell to An Luo, not at all as cheerful and relaxed as when he came to Oakland.It can be seen that Westbrook is very sad and puzzled at this time.

The Thunder's summer league will soon be over.An Luo's performance is quite satisfactory, averaging 22 minutes per game, 17.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.3 steals.The outside media and commentators have mixed reviews, but everyone in Oklahoma is very satisfied with him.He's perfectly adapted to the NBA's three-point range, but that 56.5 percent three-point shooting per game is enough to make everyone forget about Cameron Payne.

Next, since the Thunder did not participate in other summer leagues, An Luo also entered the offseason.

But he can't rest. For those old players who have played for many years, they can enjoy their vacation.But a rookie like An Luo must hurry up and train to improve himself to the greatest extent.In order to ensure that my body and technology are basically at the level that can play NBA games at the beginning of the season.

In addition to rookies, there are still some people in the Thunder who can't enjoy this rare holiday.

Presti took his assistants and began to scour the free market for some plug-and-play players.There is no need to think about the championship this year, but the playoffs are still guaranteed.

He is under a lot of pressure now.Many people have already questioned his management level. Everyone is saying that he is actually more suitable to be a scout than a general manager of a team.This point has been criticized by everyone since James Harden's contract extension.

There is another person who is under more pressure than him.

Westbrook is now the chief culprit in many people's mouths for forcing Durant away.No one knows why Durant left. While everyone called him a coward, they didn't let Westbrook go.

Durant still has a way to fight back, but with Westbrook's character, he doesn't care about it.

On the day Durant made his final decision, Westbrook, who was in Oakland, received a "farewell text message", which was full of anticipation and excitement for a new journey.Perhaps Durant really regards Westbrook as a friend!He thought that the other party would be happy for him because of it.After all, I am about to live a better life.That's how it should be, my friend!
In fact, the two don't necessarily turn against each other like the media said.They are not like Kobe and O'Neal in the past, they cannot coexist in order to fight for the boss.

From this point of view, the two of them get together and part ways.

Perhaps Westbrook was a little unhappy, after all, the place Durant went to was called Golden State, the Golden State they had just reversed in the Western Conference Finals.So he posted a "cupcake" photo on social media the day Durant announced his departure.The meaning, Durant knows better than anyone else.

Every summer before that, Westbrook would spend most of his time in the training hall, except for playing cards, watching movies and participating in various fashion activities.This year, Durant's departure has made his training intensity even greater.

When Westbrook knew that An Luo had no plans for this summer, he had one more person in his training camp.Because the arena is being renovated, they will find the old gym they originally used after they moved from Seattle and practice in the training hall for a long time.

(End of this chapter)