Roberson stays in OKC amid uncertain future

Trade speculation swirled all day. Andre Roberson went about Thursday like it was just another one.

You wouldn’t think by the scene. With hours to go before the 2 p.m. trade deadline, Roberson emerged from an office and hugged at least three Thunder staffers. He disappeared out of sight into the halls of the

Thunder practice facility before emerging 20 minutes later.

“I’m not really worried about that, man,” Roberson said of the trade deadline and his status with the Thunder. “The man upstairs has a plan for everybody. Whatever comes, comes. Right now, I’m worried about what’s going on in practice, with this team, this organization right now. You’ve just gotta move forward."

Despite a history of dealing players in his position, the Thunder is moving forward with Roberson. For now.

When the trade deadline passed Thursday, Roberson was still a part of the Thunder while Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne were on their way to Chicago for Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick.

Roberson, despite his offensive limitations, was a wanted man. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune cited a source that said the Bulls were pushing the Thunder to include Roberson in the deal.

Yet, the Thunder was able to strengthen the team without parting with its best wing defender, a player keeping himself on the floor with elite defense despite shooting 24.1 percent from 3-point range and 43 percent from the free throw line. It’s a keeper move that goes against one Thunder trend, while the trade for McDermott falls in line with another. While fellow 2013 first-rounders and restricted free agents Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams were extended for a combined $184 million in October, Roberson and the Thunder couldn’t come to terms. Roberson is headed for restricted free agency in July. From Jeff Green to James Harden to Reggie Jackson, the Thunder typically hasn’t let restricted free agents get out on the market before trading them away. When brought up to Roberson on Thursday, he said he’d “never really thought about it, to be honest.”

There have been instances where the Thunder did ride with restricted free agents into the summer. Enes Kanter’s offer sheet from Portland was matched to the tune of $70 million. Dion Waiters would have been back with the Thunder if Kevin Durant didn’t leave for Golden State last July. Once Durant left, Waiters’ qualifying offer had to be rescinded in order to have enough money to offer Russell Westbrook a raise and extension.

In the case of McDermott, the 25-year-old’s acquisition could be a case of Roberson insurance.

OKC has a track record of pre-emptively layering its team with players to replace another player at the same position. With D.J. Augustin entering his final year before unrestricted free agency, the Thunder drafted Payne in June 2015. When Jackson and the Thunder couldn’t agree to terms in the 201415 season, the Thunder traded for Waiters, and Jackson was dealt to Detroit at the trade deadline.

Jerami Grant possesses some of the defensive versatility of Roberson. McDermott’s no defender, but is a 39.9 percent career 3-point shooter with more offense than the three-year Thunder starter.

Not trading Roberson could be a sign that the Thunder is committed to him … for at least 25 more games and a playoff run. Trading for McDermott could be a sign that the Thunder has brought in a ready-made replacement starter at small forward.

But after 2 p.m. Thursday, Roberson was still a Thunder, and still having fun. He tweeted out a meme in jest of the Twitter buzz building around his hug fest. It read, “I’m a hugger,” the words above a character from The Simpsons. The tweet had more than 2,000 retweets, 4,000-plus likes.

Roberson’s disappearance into the office? A talk with Thunder assistant Darko Rajakovic, not a doomsday meeting with Thunder general manager Sam Presti.

Roberson’s disappearance into the back? He was lifting weights.

Roberson’s future?

“I’ll let the front office take care of that,” Roberson said. “I just come out here to do my job, practice and get better for my team.”