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WHY MITCH McGARY IS THE THUNDER’S MOST ATTRACTIVE TRADE PIECE. AND WHY THE TEAM SHOULD HANG ON TO HIM.
Uncertainty abounds as the NBA trade deadline approaches.
In Oklahoma City, though, we know two things are sure — Thunder general manager Sam Presti always makes a move close to the deadline, and the clock runs out at 2 p.m. Thursday.
With a team that has done something each of the past five seasons, including last year’s mega deal, you have to think a deal is all but imminent. So, who’s most likely to be dealt? Mitch McGary has to be at the top of the list. That’s not meant as a knock to the second-year power forward. He is talented. He is skilled. But he is simply caught behind a logjam of big men who are more talented and skilled.
It’s a fate that just happens to have roots in the trade deadline exactly one year ago.
That was the day, you’ll remember, the Thunder parted ways with Reggie Jackson and (sniff, sniff) Kendrick Perkins. Jackson
wanted out, and Perk was collateral damage, needed to make the dollars and cents of a deal work out.
In return, the Thunder got Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak.
The big fish, of course, was the big fellow. Kanter is unlike any player who’s ever worn a Thunder uniform. He’s a center with elite offensive abilities. Great touch around the basket. Instinctual rebounding. Superb footwork.
And this past summer when the Thunder had a chance to sign Kanter to a long-term deal — even though it was a richer deal than it had hoped — it anted up. Higher ups didn’t care if he started. Didn’t mind if he came off the bench. Either way, the Thunder had a big man who could contribute in ways this franchise has never had.
But with every action, there are equal and opposite reactions.
Signing Kanter meant McGary’s opportunities dried up — and now, his time might’ve run out, too.
For McGary’s part, he doesn’t sound disgruntled.
“I like this team,” he said Wednesday evening after practice. “I like where I’m at. Hopefully, I can work my way into the rotation somehow and get an opportunity to play.
“But for now, I’m just doing what I can to help the team.”
We’ve seen a similar scenario before with the Thunder. After the 201011 season and a firstever run to the Western Conference Finals, Presti and Co. opted to re-sign center Nazr Mohammed. He’d come to OKC at the trade deadline, and he’d been a steady hand the rest of the season. Averaged almost seven points a game. Provided a veteran presence in a youthful locker room.
Overall, Mohammed’s return was good for the Thunder.
But for Cole Aldrich, it was bad. The young big man’s development with the Thunder was stunted. In 2011-12, the second-year center played only 26 games.
Before the start of the next season, he was traded.
Turns out, Aldrich wasn’t a bad player. He’s averaged more than five points a game as a reserve last season with the Knicks and this season with the Clippers. But he was a victim of circumstance with the Thunder. Seems McGary is, too. He has shown himself to be talented. In the first two games he played extended minutes last season — he was sidelined several months, first by a fractured foot, then an injured shin — he went nuts. Double-doubles both games. Nineteen points on 8 of 9 shooting and 10 rebounds against the Clippers. Seventeen points and 10 rebounds against the Nuggets. Dude can play. Before this season started, one of the biggest questions about the Thunder was when McGary would take over Nick Collison’s minutes.
Now, neither are playing.
Is it frustrating for McGary, especially after what he has shown in limited action?
“It is,” McGary admitted. “Obviously, it’s very stressful. But that’s part of the business.”
McGary is the type of player who has great value on the market. He’s only 23 years old. He can run the floor. He can play in the paint. He can step out and hit jumpers.
That’s a unique skill set for a guy who’s 6-foot10, 255 pounds.
On a handful of teams, McGary would probably even be a starter. And on a bunch of others teams, he would be able to step on the floor and contribute right away.
What’s more, he’s cheap labor right now. He’s on the second year of a four-year rookie deal.
Put all of that together, and you’ve got an attractive option for teams looking to add a former first-round draft pick without spending a bunch of money or sending out any major assets.
The whole situation is weird to McGary, who’s a trade-deadline commodity for the first time.
“Still getting used to it,” he said. “Just trying to handle it the best as I can. It possibly could be me working here one day and working in Atlanta the next day. But I don’t like to think like that. Just be optimistic about our team and everybody coming together.” But … “It’s a business. I understand it.”
My two cents — the Thunder should keep McGary. All the reasons that would make him attractive to other teams should make him alluring to the Thunder. He has great potential, and it would be grand to see it brought to fruition in Oklahoma City. Will that happen? We’ll have a much better idea by 2 p.m. Thursday.
That much is certain.