THUNDER, SIXERS SWAP COMBO FORWARDS GRANT, ILYASOVA
The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired combo forward Jerami Grant and a trade exception from the Philadelphia 76ers for combo forward Ersan Ilyasova and a top-20 protected / conditional 1st-round draft pick in 2020.
What does it give the Oklahoma City Thunder
The loss of several key players in recent years--specifically Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka--has left the Thunder to build with youth around remaining superstar Russell Westbrook. Grant is an excellent fit with that approach in mind. His athleticism is a nice complement to Westbrook's and Victor Oladipo's, and his ability to play either forward spot well will give OKC more options up front moving forward. The Thunder also achieves significant salary flexibility by moving Ilyasova's bigger contract and getting the trade exception.
What does it give the Philadelphia 76ers
Moving Grant may one day be seen as a regrettable move by the Sixers, but this trade does at least achieve two key short-term objectives for them: first, they clear up some of their logjam of talented young frontcourt players (while adding a quality vet in Ilyasova); and second, they open up a roster space next summer (if they decide not to re-sign Ilyasova). Longer-term, the team adds another quality future draft pick (always a good thing for a young rebuilding squad). This may be the first of several similar moves by Philly management.
Fantasy impact
Both of Grant and Ilyasova should show improved production (and therefore more fantasy value) as a result of this move. Look for Grant to push for minutes at both small forward (behind Andre Roberson) and at power forward (behind Domantas Sabonis) and possibly start eventually for the Thunder. Meanwhile Ilyasova has a chance to carve out a bigger role in Philly than he had in OKC, since the Sixers' rotation is far less set these days than the Thunder's. His arrival should affect the fantasy value of rookie combo forward Dario Saric (depending on how much Ilyasova plays).
