OKC Thunder Trade Rumors: 3 players who could leave the Thunder ahead of the trade deadline

The NBA trade deadline will close next week ahead of the annual NBA All-Star Event in North Carolina. This means that teams only have a few days left to finalise their squads until the end of the season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are among the teams that are active heading into the trade deadline.

The Thunder enjoyed a widely successful 2018 off-season as the team managed to retain All-Star Paul George, while also getting rid of Carmelo Anthony's contract, and the Thunder's successful business off the court has led to Billy Donovan's men being major contenders in the Western Conference.

The Thunder are aiming for homecourt advantage in the playoffs, although the team are known to be in the market for a reliable shooter, and the likes of Terrence Ross and Courtney Lee have been linked with a move.

This means that departures are likely, and here we will look at three members of the OKC roster who could make way.

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#3 Deonte Burton

Deonte Burton went undrafted during the 2017 NBA draft, but after spending a year overseas, Burton agreed to a two-way deal with the OKC Thunder. Not much was expected from a player who was likely to spend long periods in the G-League, although Burton found his way into Billy Donovan's rotation during the early stages of the season.

In total, Burton has featured 15 times this season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per contest, although the 25-year-old has not featured since the turn of the year, and there is the possibility that the Thunder may look to move him ahead of the deadline. Evidently, the trading of two-way players is rare, although teams around the NBA may be interested in taking on Burton as part of a larger trade.

#2 Alex Abrines

Oklahoma City Thunder v New Orleans Pelicans

Alex Abrines has steadily improved during his three seasons in Oklahoma City, however, the Spaniard has had a rough last couple of months. Since scoring 25 points on five 3-pointers in the Thunder's 111-107 win over the Charlotte Hornets back in November, Abrines has seen a reduction in minutes due to a series of poor performances, and the 25-year-old has barely featured for the time in 2019.

Heading into the season, Abrines was viewed as OKC's second most reliable option from beyond the arc, although the former Barcelona man has shot just 32% from deep so far this season. Abrines' contract will also expire at the end of the season, and it is difficult to see OKC giving him a new deal. Ultimately, if the Thunder are able to bring in an experienced and reliable shooter, the team will be willing to let Abrines go.

#1 Patrick Patterson

Oklahoma City Thunder v Utah Jazz - Game Three

The Thunder's acquisition of Patrick Patterson back in 2017 was applauded as a great move by the organisation. Patterson had impressed during his time in Toronto with the Raptors, and he was initially tipped to be a starter in OKC. However, the arrival of Carmelo Anthony forced Patterson to settle for a place on the bench, and despite being one of OKC's best options from the bench, the 29-year-old was never able to find the form he showed in Toronto.

Anthony left the Thunder over the summer, but Patterson has once again found playing time hard to come by, and so far this season the power forward is averaging just 14.5 minutes per game. In his time on the court, Patterson has also shot just 38% from the field, and the Thunder will be keen to offload the veteran before he takes up his $5.8 million player option for the 19/20 season.