NBA Rumors: Thunder Big Man Could Be On The Move

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a roster crunch: the team has too many guaranteed contracts; at least two players will have to go. And according to Trevor Lane of the NBA Front Office podcast, "keep an eye on Derrick Favors... I would have to imagine that he's not part of their long-term planning."

Favors is the 'old man' of the group in OKC, at the ripe "old" age of 31. He's the longest-tenured NBA player on the roster, and his $10.8M player option that he picked up this season could possibly be on the move, per Lane. He even suggests that if a trade can't be worked out, a buyout is a possibility. 

Derrick Favors on being the old man in OKC: “They treat me like a big brother type. I’m not 19, 20… I’ve got kids. (Laughs) They keep me young. It’s a joy to be around them.”

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) September 26, 2022

For now, it sounds like Favors is happy to be the grizzled vet on the team. “They treat me like a big brother type. I’m not 19, 20… I’ve got kids. (Laughs) They keep me young. It’s a joy to be around them.”

And Favors himself sees a role on the team, now that rookie big Chet Holmgren is out for the year.

Derrick Favors on his role post-Chet injury: "It was an unfortunate injury for Chet. It kinda put me back in the mix of things. Now they'll lean on me to protect the paint... Just be a good veteran on the team and help them to win as much as I can."

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 26, 2022

The biggest problem, in looking for takers for Favor, is the fact that there are already a glut of older veteran bigs on the free agent market, and there hasn't exactly been a stampede to scoop any of them up. The likes of Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwight Howard, Tristan Thompson, Carmelo Anthony. And those guys can be had for the veteran's minimum. The $10M price tag on Favors will likely scare any potential buyers off. 

He averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in just under 17 minutes per game in 39 contests with the Thunder last season. His career marks are 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in about 24 minutes per game.

Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports