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NBA: 13 Western Conference Trades That Need To Happen Before The Deadline

By Mason McFee

Jan 21, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 123-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 123-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
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Adding Some Muscala

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t lose against the Warriors because they aren’t a good team, they just can’t shoot 3s….. and because Golden State is the best team in the league.

The Thunder are still the 2nd-worst 3PT shooting team in the NBA, shooting 32.1% as a team; despite housing guys like Anthony Morrow (career 41.7% shooter from 3) and Alex Abrines (37.5% on the season).

As I touched on in Part One, the Thunder need bench help and 3PT shooting. Teams try to go after guys that can provide both, but it’s very rare that a player is available that provides both. Enter: Mike Muscala.

OKC has some solid players on its team, and honestly, I think they should have a better record despite Westbrook averaging a triple double on a 41.9 usage %. FORTY ONE POINT 9!!! My opinion doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but I think OKC’s upper management would agree that they need to bring in some 3PT shooting if they want to push a team like Golden State or San Antonio to 7 games in a playoff series.

Muscala is currently shooting 42.4% from distance, albeit only on 1.8 3PA a game. While a limited sample size, based on watching a fair share of Hawks game, Muscala’s 3PT stroke is no joke. While he won’t light you up like my favorite Canadian in the league (Kelly Olynyk) off the bench, he can score in bunches and stretch the floor. That’s what the Thunder brought in Joffrey Lauvergne to do, but he’s only playing 14.4 MPG and hasn’t really cracked Donovan’s rotation; who like the coach before him, doesn’t like using his bench.

By bringing in Muscala, the Thunder give up Roberson’s stout defense, but add some scoring punch to an inconsistent bench. Atlanta gains another wing, but replace the recently departed Sefolosha with his younger clone in Roberson. While I think Atlanta should work to really develop guys like Bembry and Prince, Bud can mix and match lineups with the newly acquired Roberson. I think Roberson could go a long way in Bembry and Prince’s developments as defenders primarily, but also as players.

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