On Thursday, Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott, two forwards, and a 2018 draft pick from the Bulls just before the deadline set by the NBA. Big starters like Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony remained with their respective teams as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline came to an end.
Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal regarding Gibson and Mc Dermott
Agent Mark Bartelstein, in a press release confirmed the reports that both Gibson and McDermott were acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Chicago Bulls. In exchange, the Thunder sent players Anthony Morrow, Joffrey Lauvergne and Cameron Payne to the Bulls.
Sam Presti of Oklahoma City Thunder is a happy man
The GM of Oklahoma City, Sam Presti, stated that he is happy with his team’s standing after the close of the NBA deals. He said that the Thunder are a better team now, compared to what they were on Thursday morning.
Gibson with his 8 years of experience will be able to add athleticism to the team, as well as a rim protector. Taj Gibson was averaging close to a double-double for the Chicago Bulls, and, he will surely be able to take some of the pressure off of Russell Westbrook. Now that he has moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it is not known whether he will play in the starting lineup instead of Domantas Sabonis at power forward or if he will come off the bench, however.
McDermott on the other hand, has a career high of 10.2 points and he was shooting more than 37% from deep. The Thunder will benefit from his ability to stretch the floor, which is something the Thunder have been lacking this season.
Gibson has spent his entire career with the Bulls
Gibson at first expressed his shock. According to Gibson, his agent called him around 5 AM and told him that they were getting lots of hits from various teams and that is when he knew it was serious.
But once the news appeared on television, Gibson said that he felt excited and at the same time sad, as he has played his entire career with the Bulls. Gibson and McDermot both confirmed that they were happy to play for a winner.
