The Oklahoma City Thunder looks to have hit on a salary-oriented trade once again.
In years past, during the Thunder's rebuild, they've made trades to help other teams while bringing in more draft capital. One example is Al Horford, who the Philadelphia 76ers unloaded from their books by trading to the Thunder while attaching value alongside him in the trade.
Horford was successful in Oklahoma City as he was able to mentor a young squad while showing his on-court value. Eventually, the Thunder sent Horford back to the Boston Celtics, where he was before the 76ers. But first, they maximized his time with the team.
Now, it seems in a similar move, the Thunder has seemingly struck again. To ensure they could select Cason Wallace, the Thunder traded pick No. 12 for pick No. 10 and Davis Bertans, who the Dallas Mavericks needed to get off their books to help build around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
While it was questionable whether Bertans would stick around after being traded to Oklahoma City, he seems to be staying. The Thunder still has to cut or downsize three players on standard contracts to get under the maximum allowed for the regular season.
Bertans played in the preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs, where he knocked down four 3-pointers in his first few minutes of game action. His ability to spread the floor and knock down 3-pointers at a rapid-fire rate -- much like Isaiah Joe -- is of such value that the Thunder can warrant paying his steep contract for the season rather than trying to move it.
Not only will Bertans be able to make the final roster, which seems likely after being a healthy scratch in Montreal as the Thunder took on the Detroit Pistons in the preseason, but he will be able to provide a legitimate role that will help the Thunder put teams away or comeback in games they shouldn't be competing in.
While Bertans won't see any 30+ minutes per game role, his 12+ minutes will be incredibly impactful and important for the Thunder, which will create plenty of opportunities for him beyond the arc with their drive-heavy offensive scheme.
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