The Seattle Sonics are shopping Kurt Thomas around in hopes of trading the veteran big man.
Youth Movement
It’s not official yet, but the signs are there. Kurt Thomas is able to read those signs pretty clearly, too.
The Seattle Sonics are making even more of a commitment towards youth.
Kurt Thomas has been in the league for a dozen years now. The majority of his teammates have yet to play 5 years.
He’s also 35 years old, which makes him about 8 years older than Nick Collison, 10 years older than Chris Wilcox, 13 years older than Robert Swift, and 14 years older than Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene.
The franchise has absolutely no chance of making the playoffs this year. So, now would be the time to start giving as many minutes as possible to the young group of big men.
Courting Kurt
There appears to be several teams interesting in acquiring Kurt Thomas.
Can’t blame them. In Kurt Thomas, you have a veteran leader who can play power forward and center. He’s a superb rebounder and defender. Plus, he still has the ability to hit a few shots on offense.
Best of all, Kurt Thomas has an expiring $8 million contract.
The Orlando Magic have reportedly already expressed interest in Kurt Thomas. They need a veteran big man next to Dwight Howard to do the dirty work. Head coach Stan Van Gundy has expressed quite a bit of displeasure with his star player’s inability to focus on defense and rebounding. Kurt Thomas just happens to specialize in those two fields.
Kurt Thomas would be a perfect addition for the Dallas Mavericks if they could find the pieces to make the trade happen. The team would be complete with an enforcer like Kurt Thomas on their frontline. He would bring the toughness that the team needs inside.
The Phoenix Suns, who Kurt Thomas played for prior to joining the Seattle Sonics, would also love to add the veteran big man to their rotation. With Kurt Thomas, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaquille O’Neal, the team would be able to compete inside with just about any team in the league.
Closing Thoughts
While this may not be as big as the blockbuster trades we’ve seen these past few days, it would definitely have an impact on the Western Conference playoff scene.