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Some trades only include two players. Others include eight, like the one executed between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The Thunder traded Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon and Moe Harkless to the Rockets in exchange for David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski The Thunder, who will additionally acquire two draft exceptions, are also sending Houston a 2025 second-round pick in the deal.
From Oklahoma City’s perspective, the deal is mainly a financial one, as it saves them $1 million in salary and drops them approximately $10 million under the luxury-tax threshold. For Houston, they’ll get a second-round pick for taking on an additional $1 million in salary, per Wojnarowski.
Favors, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, is the headliner of the deal. He currently has one year and over $10 million remaining on his current contract. Perhaps the rebuilding Rockets will find a spot for the veteran forward in their regular rotation, or perhaps they’ll trade him to a contender. They could also reach a buyout agreement with Favors, at which point he would be free to sign elsewhere. Last season, Favors averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games with the Thunder. Prior to playing in Oklahoma City, he also spent time with the Nets, Jazz and Pelicans.
Both Houston and Oklahoma City are both in the midst of rebuilds, so maybe the other players included in the trade will be able to find opportunity, and success, with fresh starts. Both teams are currently in the middle training camp, and preseason play is set to begin over the weekend, so we could see some of these guys in their new uniforms in the very near future.
