OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 23: Dakari Johnson #44 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball before the game against the Utah Jazz in Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2018 NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) OKC Thunder seek additional cost cuts via trade of Dakari Johnson to Orlando Magic for Rodney Purvis Although not a big trade OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti’s move to trade Dakari Johnson was no less important. Although Johnson’s contract isn’t large ($1.4 million) as per Bobby Marks the move clears $2.6 million off OKC’s luxury tax. In terms of specifics the Thunder are said to have also sent cash Orlando’s way. Rodney Purvis was a desirable trade partner since his contract is non-guaranteed which allows the Thunder to waive him from the roster. Dakari Johnson flashback: Thunderous Intentions has consistently pointed to the big man’s game not suiting the current tenor of the NBA game. For Johnson it’s been a long, difficult journey upon his arrival to the National Basketball Association. The former Kentucky Wildcat was selected by the OKC Thunder 48th in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. For the next two seasons Johnson played entirely with the OKC Thunder affiliate OKC Blues. OKC Thunder trades C/PF Dakari Johnson to Orlando Magic for non-guaranteed PG/SG Rodney Purvis pic.twitter.com/iZ0g7oK58b — Major Sports Alerts (@sports___alerts) July 20, 2018 Facing primarily his peers DJ performed well and was considered a G-League top star. Likewise each of DJ’s three Summer League appearances were highly successful. That said, the overriding takeaway was Dakari was an excellent big man under the basket with a game perfectly suited for the old generation of centers. Simply put, perhaps Johnson was unlucky based on when he entered the league. The Orlando Magic are reportedly going to cut Dakari Johnson and no doubt will utilize some of the cash the OKC Thunder sent to help in this endeavor. Beyond his old school game DJ is unfortunate given the front court is loaded in Orlando. The Magic drafted center Mohamed Bamba this year to join last season’s draftee Jonathan Isaac And, while Orlando have been seeking to rid themselves of Nikola Vucevic for what seems an eternity it still doesn’t bode well for DJ. Again, Purvis (also primarily based in the G-League) is likely to be cut and was desirable to OKC given his non-guaranteed contract. Can’t imagine this will be the last move made this offseason by GM Sam Presti. Afterall, he still has Kyle Singler to deal with — right?<doc-sep>UPDATE Dakari Johnson has been traded again, as he’s now being sent to the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Woj. There, Johnson will reunite with former Wildcats guard Andrew Harrison, who Johnson went to back-to-back Final Fours with at Kentucky. The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded former Kentucky forward Dakari Johnson to the Orlando Magic, according to Shams Charania. Oklahoma City is trading Dakari Johnson to the Orlando Magic, league sources tell Yahoo. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2018 Johnson has been with the Thunder since the start of his NBA career. He played for their G-League team in each of his first three years of professional basketball, but also jumped up to play NBA ball for 31 games last year. He started six of those games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 56 percent. Johnson played at Kentucky for two years. He started 18 games in the 2013-14 season, averaging 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. On the 2014-15 38-1 team, Johnson came off the bench and averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. Johnson will join fellow former Wildcat Isaiah Briscoe in Orlando. What his role will be in Orlando is unclear. The Magic are well-stocked in big men, including Mohamed Bamba, Timofey Mozgov and Jonathan Isaac. Be sure to go ‘like’ our Facebook page and follow our Twitter page for the latest Kentucky Wildcats news.<doc-sep>Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press While much of the significant player movement for the 2018 NBA offseason is already over, the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly not done dealing just yet. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Grizzlies sent forward Jarell Martin and cash considerations to the Magic in exchange for big man Dakari Johnson on Monday. This isn’t the first time Johnson has been traded this offseason, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday the Kentucky product was part of another deal. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded him and cash considerations to the Magic in exchange for Rodney Purvis. The Thunder selected Johnson in the second round of the 2015 draft, and he split time between the NBA and G-League last season. He appeared in 31 games with six starts for Oklahoma City, averaging a mere 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds a night as frontcourt depth. Johnson is just 22 years old and will attempt to establish himself in a new environment as depth behind Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies. As for Martin, he was a first-round pick in the same draft as Johnson and played collegiately at LSU. He appeared in a career-high 73 games with 36 starts for the Grizzlies in 2017-18 and posted 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds a night. He also shot a passable 34.7 percent from three-point range and can theoretically stretch the floor and take advantage of openings created by Orlando’s frontcourt of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba.<doc-sep>
The Thunder have reportedly traded Dakari Johnson to the Magic in exchange for Rodney Purvis, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The news was first reported by A. Suave Francisco on Twitter. The Magic will send Rodney Purvis to the Thunder for Johnson, league sources said. https://t.co/xPVLpFdvzE — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2018 The move to trade Johnson does not appear to be that much of a surprise as he played sparingly for the Thunder last season after averaging just 5.1 minutes in 31 total games. The Thunder were also likely motivated to trade Johnson to dump his $1.4 million guaranteed salary for next season. Meanwhile, Purvis is due $1.4 million next season as well, but it is non-guaranteed. Johnson, the No. 48 overall pick by the Thunder in the 2015 draft, is expected to be waived by the Magic once the deal is complete as the Thunder are also sending the Magic cash to cover his $1.4 million salary. Prior to spending last season with the Thunder, he played primarily for the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League where he averaged 15.4 points and eight rebounds and 2.2 assists in 99 games. With the arrival of Dennis Schroder in the Carmelo Anthony trade, it’s quite clear that the Thunder would like to play uptempo and Johnson does not necessarily fit that style of play. Although he wasn’t a significant member of the Thunder, he is coming off of a solid Summer League performance. In three games, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game. Johnson played two seasons at Kentucky in college.