Oklahoma City Thunder Trade News: How's Dion Waiters Doing After All that Philly Transfer Talk?
It's been almost a month since various news outlets reported about this rumor of Dion Waiters hoping to land a trade offer from the Philadelphia 76ers. After the Sixers' historic losing run and the constant talk about the Thunder shopping him elsewhere, how's life been for the former fourth overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft?
The 23-year-old hasn't really found an NBA team that he can call home, and after more than two seasons with the Cavs, the team that drafted him, he now plays for the OKC Thunder, who by the way is reportedly not happy with how he's performing this season.
About a month ago, several sources said that he wanted to play in Philly by next season, citing the reason of Philadelphia being his home town. He believes that the team could make room for him at the shooting guard spot considering they lack some offensive firepower in that position. And by looking at how the team is performing right now, they definitely could use Waiters' offensive prowess. It also helps that the Sixers will be coming into next summer with a more flexible cap space compared to most other teams.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
With the recent news of basketball hall of famer Jerry Colangelo joining Philadelphia's front office, it could mean that Waiters' hope of playing for the team may come into fruition. The biggest question, though, is if Colangelo and head coach Brett Brown are willing to ignore the mediocre performances of Waiters in Cleveland and Oklahoma.
But according to Shawn Woods reporting for a fan-built website called Thunderous Intentions, Waiters actually has improved quite a bit after the talk of being traded. The website displayed a graph showing how the shooting guard improved his passing this season, though his turnovers have likewise increased; something that's expected when minutes-per-game is increased.
It's really quite unfair at this point to gauge Waiters' performance with the Thunder as disappointing, considering that he's young and will have several years to prove himself. The improvement he's showing may not be immediately noticed with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant carrying the team, but he's definitely going to show up, hopefully sooner than later.
