The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded center Hasheem Thabeet and cash to thePhiladelphia 76ers for a protected second-round draft pick in 2015 and a trade exception.
Sources briefed on the transaction said Tuesday that the Sixers will receive cash considerations to take on Thabeet's contract.
Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 defensive specialist from Tanzania, played
in 66 games in 2012 and averaged nearly a block per contest. His playing time
was reduced last season when first-round pick Steven Adams emerged
as the backup center.
The
Sixers, sources said, are expected to immediately waive the former No. 2
overall pick, while Oklahoma City will create a trade exception worth $1.25
million by shipping Thabeet out without taking back any salary.
The deal was announced on Tuesday. The Thunder have a year to
use the trade exception.
Thabeet, the No. 2 pick in
the 2009 draft out of UConn, has averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game
over five seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets,Portland Trail Blazers and
Thunder.
Hasheem Thabeet is a
Tanzanian professional basketball player who currently plays for the
Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. At 7 ft 3 in, Thabeet is the second tallest
active player in the NBA, behind Sim Bhullar.
Is there
a place for Hasheem Thabeet in the NBA?
We’ll soon learn the answer to that question, but if there is, it
sure isn’t in Oklahoma City.
The
Thunder have Steven Adams, Mitch McGary and Kendrick Perkinsat
center. And if they kept Thabeet past Aug. 31, they’d have to guarantee the final year and $1.25 million of his contract.
So, Oklahoma City could have simply waived Thabeet, increased its
flexibility and maintained enough center depth.
Instead, the Thunder have gone a more complicated route.
2009 – 2011 Memphis Grizzlis
2010 – Dakota wizards (D- League)
2011 – 2012 –Houston Rocket
2011 – Rio Grande Valley Vipers ( D – league)
2012 – Portland Trial Blazers
2012 – 2014 Oklahoma City Thunder