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Seeking frontcourt help, the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired veteran forward Taj Gibson from the Chicago Bulls just before the end of Thursday's trading deadline. Along with Gibson, the Thunder obtained small forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick from Chicago. The Bulls eceived reserve guards Cameron Payne and Anthony Morrow along forward Joffrey Lauvergne.
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Gibson was Chicago's first-round pick in 2009 and averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 562 regular-season games. This season, he is averaging 11.6 points and seven rebounds in 55 games while shooting 52.1 percent.
Gibson will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and the Bulls appeared to be motivated to move him instead of losing him for nothing in free agency like with Pau Gasol after last season.
Gibson's acquisition occurred a day after forward Enes Kanter returned to practice for the first time since breaking his arm hitting a chair on Jan. 26.
In his third season after being a star at Creighton, McDermott is averaging 10.2 points and shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point range in 44 games. He has averaged 8.2 points and shot 39.8 percent from 3-point range in 161 regular-season games.
In the final three games before the All-Star break, McDermott scored 47 total points.
Payne averaged 5.3 points in 20 games for the Thunder. He missed the first two-plus months of the season following right foot surgery.
Morrow was in his third season with the Thunder and averaged 5.8 points and set career lows by shooting 38.7 percent and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. In 555 regular-season games for the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City, Morrow has averaged 9.5 points while shooting 44.7 percent and 41.7 percent from 3-point range.
Lauvergne was obtained from the Denver Nuggets in August for a pair of second-round picks in this year's draft. In 50 games for the Thunder, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds and 14.8 minutes per game.
