Two Former OKC Thunder Players Traded to Detroit Pistons

The league is replete with former players and staff from the Oklahoma City

Thunder. Former Thunder players are all over the league as a result of the team’s

rebirth, thanks in part to general manager Sam Presti’s assistance in

getting his assistants jobs. Those worlds came crashing down on Sunday when a

Thunder-heavy deal was done without even involving the team. ESPN’s Adrian

Wojnarowski reported that the Detroit Pistons agreed on a trade to send Marvin

Bagley, Isaiah Livers and two future second-round draft selections to the

Washington Wizards in return for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.

Of course, the two names that scream Thunder in this trade are Gallinari and

Muscala. Gallinari spent the 2019-20 season with the underdog Thunder team

that defied all odds by making the playoffs. He averaged 18.7 points per

game in just under 30 minutes per game. His services were needed on the team as

they were a rounded team that scored by committee. Then there’s Muscala, who

served a bigger role on the team for longer as he was a key veteran in the

team’s rebuild. He spent three-and-a-half seasons in Oklahoma City before the

team traded him to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline a season ago. While

his stats weren’t eye-popping in Oklahoma City, Muscala provided some

incredible moments and played a vital role in the team being as mature as it

was while being one of the youngest teams in the league.

However, additional former Thunder players are involved in the transfer behind the scenes. Sam Presti’s assistants

with the Thunder were Will Dawkins of the Wizards and Troy Weaver of the

Pistons, the two general managers involved in the deal. Both general

managers had been with the Thunder since 2008 before both assumed their

separate posts. While Weaver was hired by the Pistons in 2020, Dawkins was

hired by the Wizards in 2023. Both have taken actions that are reminiscent of

how Presti would have conducted business in Oklahoma City.