The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a surprising eight-player trade on Thursday that sparked some head-scratching tweets by fans.
Oklahoma City traded center Derrick Favors, guard Ty Jerome, forward Moe Harkless, guard Theo Maledon and a 2025 second-round pick (via the Hawks) to Houston in exchange for forward Marquese Chriss and guards David Nwaba, Sterling Brown and Trey Burke, according to ESPN.
The Thunder will acquire two trade exceptions in the deal, while the Rockets will absorb an additional trade asset for collecting another $1 million in salary.
The deal ultimately serves as a cap-friendly one for both teams. It will reportedly put the Thunder approximately $10 million under the luxury tax threshold.
That rockets thunder trade is weird as hell.
Whats the point
— Ewan Ross (@Mentoch) September 30, 2022
The Rockets and Thunder just got on the phone and decided to name some guys.
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) September 30, 2022
After the trade, both the Thunder and Rockets have 18 guaranteed contracts on their respective rosters, and will need to limit them down to 15 by the start of the regular season.
It’s possible that some of the eight players will not remain with their new respective teams as the Thunder and Rockets are in their own stages of a rebuild.
Maledon and Nwaba both are under contract for the 2023-24 season with team options.
Favors, the No. 3 pick in the 2010 Draft, joins his fourth team in four years after spending eight seasons with the Utah Jazz.
