The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly "on the fence" about trading Reggie Jackson, despite all signs indicating they plan to move on from the point guard. One factor that could sway Oklahoma City into trading Jackson is superstar Kevin Durant supposedly dislikes him.
Oklahoma City traded for Dion Waiters in January, and the deal appears to be paying off. Waiters has been productive in his brief time with the Thunder, and the fact coach Scott Brooks is essentially turning him into the team's sixth man - Waiters is the first guard off the bench and is averaging more minutes than Jackson - seems to suggest Oklahoma City is preparing for a future without Jackson.
Although the signs suggest one thing, Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy reported the Thunder are actually "on the fence" about moving Jackson before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
"The vibe that rival executives get from the Thunder is that they're on the fence about moving Jackson before the deadline," Kennedy wrote Tuesday and confirmed Wednesday. "On one hand, they're in the luxury tax and may not be able to afford Jackson this summer when he hits restricted free agency. He also hasn't had the best attitude since the Waiters move, especially since his minutes have been down. ...
"With all of that said, some within the Thunder organization believe they should keep Jackson because they realize it would be hard to replace the production they get from him at the back-up point guard position and because there's a belief that Jackson and Waiters could form a nice one-two punch if they're able to get on the same page and eventually develop some chemistry."
Durant could be the deciding factor for whether Oklahoma City trades Jackson. The reigning MVP isn't particularly fond of Jackson, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
"... (The) word coming out of the Thunder locker room is that Durant is not a big fan of the free-agent-to-be guard," Isola wrote Thursday.
Isola also reported Oklahoma City came close to trading Jackson to the Denver Nuggets this week, but the deal ultimately fell through.
