Reggie Jackson Almost Dealt To Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers Also Interested

The Oklahoma City Thunder were reportedly close to sending disgruntled reserve guard Reggie Jackson to the Denver Nuggets before the deal fell apart. The soon-to-be restricted free agent is a lock to be dealt before the trade deadline expires next month.

The Thunder (23-23) are chasing the eighth and final playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference and are currently 3 games behind in the loss column to the Phoenix Suns (27-20). The team will have to go 26-10 the rest of the way to approach 49 wins, the magic number for last year’s 8th-seed Dallas Mavericks. With current Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant going in and out of the line-up, the team is contemplating shaking up the roster a bit more. This is where Jackson might come in.

After the team acquired lottery pick Dion Waiters from the Cleveland, Jackson’s numbers have dwindled. It is apparent that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti is positioning Waiters as the team’s new sixth man considering that the said player is on a rookie contract and is not a threat to leave in the summer. There has also been tension within the Thunder camp after Jackson was accused of always trying to look for his own shot before involving his teammates.

Jackson has been reported to be looking for a starting spot and a significant raise in the summer. After the Thunder dealt away James Harden in the infamous transaction with the Houston Rockets, the team has been wary of paying reserve players with maximum salary. The Thunder has now dealt younger players in exchange for future picks in Harden and Jeff Green. The likelihood that Jackson will go the same route is all in the signs.

“Bottom line,” one NBA general manager told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, “how much are they willing to pay for Westbrook’s backup?”

Apart from the Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers have also been rumoured to be on the fence on acquiring Jackson. The Lakers have no enticing single asset to offer other than future picks but an assortment of Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Wayne Ellington may be palatable to the Thunder who are after good quality big men to spell their starting duo of Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka. Presti’s management tried to go after Brooklyn’s center Brook Lopez but talks died down after the Nets backed away from the talks.

For concerns on this article, contact the writer at v.hidalgo@ibtimes.com.au.