Seattle SuperSonics Win
Seattle absorbed Kurt Thomas and received two Phoenix first-round picks, including the 2008 selection used on Serge Ibaka.
Phoenix Suns Received
- Draft Pick 2009 second round pick (protected top 55 in 2009, extinguished thereafter) (#57-Emir Preldžic)
- Trade Exception $9M trade exception
Sonics Received
- Player Kurt Thomas
- Draft Pick 2008 first round pick (#24-Serge Ibaka)
- Draft Pick 2010 first round pick (#26-Quincy Pondexter)
Phoenix Suns
Sonics
Trade Analysis
This transaction became one of the best pieces of asset arbitrage in the Seattle-to-Oklahoma City transition. Phoenix paid two first-round picks to move Kurt Thomas into Seattle’s trade exception. Thomas himself remained useful and was later flipped for additional value, while the 2008 first-round pick became Serge Ibaka, a foundational defender on Oklahoma City’s first contender and a player whose later trade value also remained significant. The 2010 first became Quincy Pondexter. Seattle gave up only a heavily protected second and cap mechanism. Turning financial flexibility into a championship-core player and another first makes this an A+ franchise win.