Oklahoma City Thunder trade rumors: OKC eyeing shooting guard upgrade with Jimmy Butler
After only one game so far in the season, there are talks that the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to get a star player to come over later on in the campaign.
Rumors are circulating that the Thunder are possibly trying to lure the Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler in the middle of the season to help them in the tough Western Conference.
The Thunder lost one of their best players during the summer when Kevin Durant left for the Golden State Warriors. However, they did have some pieces in return as all-around player Victor Oladipo, among others, has come over to help Russell Westbrook.
Talks are circulating that if things do not work out, the Thunder might try their luck in getting Butler to possibly form a partnership with Westbrook in OKC.
The Thunder won their first game in the season, a 103-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Westbrook had a great game with 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists but Oladipo struggled with 10 points while shooting 4-of-16.
If Oladipo fails to adapt to the way the Thunder play, he may find himself down the pecking order as the Thunder pursue Butler.
Between the two, Butler is obviously the better player on paper. Within five years in the league, Butler has secured All-Star status in the last two seasons. His averages aren't the best but he is expected to improve drastically. He is currently at 13.6 points and 4.5 points per game.
However, last year he had a career year with 20.9 points per game along with a shooting percentage of 45 percent from the field.
If he can translate that with the Thunder then the team can easily regain their elite status with still a lot of pieces behind them.
Both Butler and the Thunder will greatly benefit if this move were to happen. This could bring Butler closer to getting a ring. Meanwhile, Westbrook and the Thunder might find another piece that could finally bring them to glory.
