The 2017 second-round pick the Thunder acquired from the Grizzlies in this week’s three-team trade with the Celtics won’t change hands if it falls anywhere from 31 to 55, according to RealGM’s log of traded draft picks. The 2014 second-round pick from the Sixers that the Thunder also landed in the deal will be moved if it falls between 51 and 55, so there’s a good chance OKC never see either pick.
Here’s more on that trade and a few other notes from around the NBA:
- Berry Trammel and Jon Hamm go in-depth to explain in a piece for the Oklahoman why the Thunder got involved in that swap. As we suggested yesterday, the move didn’t save OKC any money or land them real draft assets, but it allowed the team to create a little more cap flexibility below the tax line. With team salary now roughly $2.29MM below the tax threshold, the Thunder may have increased their odds of using the Eric Maynor trade exception worth about $2.34MM, writes Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman.
- The Nuggets look poised to begin saving some money on Danilo Gallinari’s salary, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, who notes that an NBA insurance policy will kick in after Gallinari misses his 41st consecutive regular season game. The policy ensures that the Nuggets will only have to cover 50% of Gallinari’s base salary per game for each additional contest he misses after the 41st.
- Former NBA forward Jamario Moon announced on Twitter that he’s leaving the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders to join Olympiacos in Greece, which the team itself confirmed on Facebook a little later (translation via Sportando).
- The NBA appears to finally be on the verge of buying the Silna family – owners of the defunct Spirit of St. Louis – out of their take of TV revenue, writes Richard Sandomir of the New York Times. It’s a great read for those of you not familiar with one of the stranger business arrangements in pro sports.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside conducted an interesting Q&A with D-League president Dan Reed, who expressed optimism that the league will eventually expand to 30 teams, with all 30 maintaining a single-affiliate relationship with an NBA franchise.
Zach Links contributed to this post.