The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season and with the Russell Westbrook injury, the team could look at names like Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, Andre Miller, Steve Blake and Kyle Lowry at the trading deadline to help with a Kevin Durant NBA title run in 2014.
The Thunder obviously are not a team that "needs" anything since they are first in their division, in the NBA and in the western conference by a nice margin, but the loss of Westbrook is troubling. Last season the team did not have the time to work things out after he went down in the playoffs and their title hopes went along with it, but this year is different. Westbrook was knocked out much sooner this time in December and while he could be back for the playoffs, he has no set return date and for as good as Reggie Jackson has been in his place, is that what OKC wants going into the playoffs?
The Thunder have the second best or 1a/b best player in the NBA with LeBron James and there's no doubt Durant is the best scorer, but come playoff time the team could be in trouble, as opposing teams hounded Durant and he was forced out of his comfort zone with Westbrook out. Last season he was the one to take over as the primary playmaker with Westbrook out and teams honed in on that and while Jackson has improved since last season, playing against teams like the Blazers, Spurs and Clippers without Westbrook could be deadly.
The Thunder will not give up much to get anything, but names like Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, Andre Miller and Steve Blake could be in the mix as options to take over for Westbrook and to serve as an insurance policy. The Orlando Magic have long been thought of as a team that could get involved in deals, as they are terrible and Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson are the top names coming out of Florida. According to SB Nation and NBA.com, Nelson and Afflalo have been getting some interest from teams, but the Magic do not want to simply give those players up without getting picks or value in return.
Afflalo has contract of two years, $15.3 million left on his deal after this season and while that isn't too pricey, it might be too much for teams looking for a backup point guard. Afflalo has been playing some of the best ball of his career and has shown that he can score, putting up almost 20 per game, but teams may look at Nelson as the cheaper option since he is four years older. Nelson has played in an NBA finals and that could be one reason why the Thunder check in on him.
The Wizards have been interested in Steve Blake and Andre Miller according to Pro Basketball Talk, but the Wiz have already made a deal and have a tough cap situation, leaving Miller with the Nuggets most likely. The Warriors want some guard help and Kyle Lowry has also been mentioned, but it will be up to the Thunder to decide if gambling on a Westbrook return is worth it or that Reggie Jackson can lead the way for Durant.
