In what has been arguably the most up and down season in the history of the Oklahoma City franchise, the Thunder's roller coaster ride may not come to an end just yet. The trade deadline is approaching, and the word has often been that the Thunder will be a big participant. The Thunder has considerable young assets that could be shipped out. Consider this, besides Nick Collison and Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder doesn't have a player in his thirties. Anthony Morrow is 29, and the Thunder's big three are all under the age of 26. Many have made the claim that this team's window is closing, but it's only closing if Kevin Durant leaves in 2016. If he stays, the window is open for a long time. 

This leads to the current issue. What to do with Reggie Jackson. Last year at his MVP press conference, Kevin Durant referred to Reggie Jackson as one of his best friends. This year, the cameras have caught Durant on multiple occasions throwing his towel down as Reggie refuses to shoot end of quarter half court shots that would hurt his percentage. The point being, something appears off. Jackson has made it no secret he has a desire to start and to control his own team; however, he finds himself in a powerless situation that's only getting worse. He's a restricted free agent that is either trying to tell the Thunder, "You better not match" or is really pushing for Russell Westbrook's job. Given that Westbrook is considered a top five player by many individuals, one would think it's safe to say Westbrook's not going anywhere. What Jackson's really saying is, "I don't want to come off the bench and look over my shoulder every time I shoot the ball." 

Since Dion Waiters' arrival in OKC, there has been no secret that he has been favored more by Scott Brooks. Brooks loves the defensive intensity of Waiters compared to Reggie Jackson. Many Thunder fans, even before Waiters was acquired, were clamoring for Reggie to be traded. But every Thunder fan needs to ask his or herself this question - do you see Dion Waiters getting you 32 points in a must-win Game 4 in the playoffs? Do you see Morrow doing it? Ibaka? Adams? 

At the end of the day Jackson is the team's third best offensive player. Yes, his numbers are slightly down. Per basketball reference, he's shooting 28 percent from three this year compared to 34 percent last year, and 43 percent shooting overall compared to 44 percent last year, but a lot of that may have to do with inconsistent playing time. Nonetheless, if a respectable offer is made for Reggie's services, no one would be surprised to see him sent out by this Thursday's trade deadline. 

The Thunder can offer a lot of pieces to sweeten the pot if the team finds a respectable trade partner. Jeremy Lamb hasn't been a rotation guy in months. Kendrick Perkins is on an expiring deal and could be shipped out to match salaries with another team. There's also Perry Jones, who still finds playing time every now and then, but he could most certainly be traded, and of course Reggie Jackson. Those four guys in some combination could get the Thunder a decent return. Who would be the most likely trade partners? (Note: these are not rumored trades but mere speculation) 

The Thunder will certainly have to get a backup point guard in return, as Ish Smith is not likely to be capable of running the second unit. One name that could be intriguing is Miami's Norris Cole. The Heat has struggled at the point guard position all year and a guy like Reggie Jackson that can score and pass would help them immensely, especially with Dwyane Wade's continued injury problems. For the Thunder, Cole is a better defender, and in years past, a better three-point shooter. His numbers are down to 26.5 percent from beyond the arc, but he did shoot 36 percent and 35 percent the last two years with LeBron James. The point being, he can hit open threes, and with Westbrook and Durant, he would get a lot more of them than he's seeing right now in Miami. 

Goran Dragic has recently hit the trade market, but there's little chance the Thunder would actually bring him in. Mostly because it's incredibly unlikely the Suns would make a trade to help out the Thunder. Hypothetically, his creativity and shooting off the bench would be valued, but odds are the Thunder would find themselves losing Dragic in the offseason as well. Also involving the Suns, Marc Stein of ESPN tweeted saying the Suns are more likely to move Isaiah Thomas.

https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/566477745136603136

He could conceivable be a good fit for this Thunder team. The Suns would be unlikely to deal straight up with the Thunder and third party would be needed. Denver has been a highly discussed trade partner, as they have multiple intriguing assets that could be moved. Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo could both find their way to a contender at the right price. But this is all speculation.

The Thunder really has limited leverage here. The market is bare. As mentioned previously, names like Arron Afflalo have been thrown out, but can the Thunder really bring in another two guard? Any team sincerely interested in Reggie Jackson is probably willing to just wait until the offseason and try and sign him then. Why give up an asset when you can maybe get him in restricted free agency? The bottom line is this, the good teams that are title contenders and have assets to trade already have point guards. In the West there is Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, and Russell Westbrook. The only team without a premiere point guard is Houston, but Harden runs that offense from the two guard position much in the same way LeBron James runs his from the forward position. 

The teams that might want the rights to Reggie Jackson now could include the Knicks, Lakers, Nets, Heat, and Pacers. The problem is, outside of possibly getting Norris Cole or picks, none of those teams really have assets the Thunder would want. OKC is in the title winning business. They don't have a desire to continue to stockpile picks at the expense of winning games. They did just infamously have the first ever domestic draft and stash pick in Josh Heustis. 

At this point, the Thunder's best option, unless they're overwhelmed with an offer, may be to just sit back and roll the dice. If the goal is to win a championship, losing Reggie Jackson for anything worse than he is now, significantly hurts those chances. They need a safety valve. They need a guy they know can hit shots in the playoffs. They have one, so why trade him? 

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