Why The Oklahoma City Thunder Do The Deal
Of course, the Thunder were supposed to have their starting center this season. Unfortunately, Chet Holmgren had to miss his entire rookie season due to injuries.
With that said, Holmgren will be back. Adding any player that doesn’t fit with him could prove to be a mistake. Is that what the Thunder are doing here?
We’d argue that it’s not. Sure, both Holmgren and Adebayo may be generally regarded as 5s, but either can play the 4. In this position less league, such positional overlap doesn’t matter. Holmgren makes up for Adebayo’s lack of shooting on offense.
On defense, Holmgren is likely to be a drop coverage rim protector, while Adebayo can switch across positions. On paper, the fit between them is clean.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
Meanwhile, these Thunder could actually make some noise with Adebayo on the roster in 2022-23. Finally, at 25, Adebayo is young enough to grow with this group. A core of him, Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander feels like a great outcome for their prolonged rebuilding effort.
Should the Heat really part with their star big man?