Dion Waiters traded to Thunder, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith to Cavaliers

When asked if Waiters could be James Harden-like for Oklahoma City, Durant said the youngster could do similar things, according to Anthony Slater of NewsOk.com:

Waiters is a talented player, as evidenced by his strong finish to last season. However, a good portion of that success came when Irving was out with an injury and Waiters was able to dominate the ball. Waiters will get the chance to be a primary scorer off the Thunder’s bench, but he also must prove he can be effective when playing as the third or fourth option.

In all three instances, the Thunder’s motives were the same: Stick to their philosophy.

The Thunder have decided they won’t let their top players who are possible free agents ever hit the market unrestricted. OKC’s dealings with Perkins were not only to fortify the frontline, but also to have an integral cog of the team locked up for the future at a cost it deemed manageable at the time. (Time has proven it wasn’t.) The Thunder’s game of chicken with Harden will forever hang over the franchise like a black cloud unless they win a title, but the reality is that Presti simply refused to be left with nothing if Harden walked in free agency.