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What Had Happened Was: 6/24/16

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    Orlando Magic v Oklahoma City Thunder
    Victor Oladipo #5 of the Orlando Magic goes up for a dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 3, 2016 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Kofie Yeboah

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    We’ve missed basketball since the NBA Finals ended — that was this week? — but Thursday night brought back that familiar rush. So very many interesting subplots emerged during the NBA draft Thursday night: With 7-foot-1 big man Thon Maker going to Milwaukee, the Bucks’ entire lineup is now stocked by extraterrestrials; and guard Buddy Hield will soon be able to drop buckets for the New Orleans Pelicans alongside Anthony Davis.

    But the most fascinating development of the night came when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded forward Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for guard Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to power forward Domantas Sabonis, who was taken with the 11th pick of the draft. Woah.

    On first glance, Ibaka doesn’t turn 26 until September, he’s long been an important defensive piece for the Thunder and, shoot, he was the team’s best 3-point shooter (45 percent) during this postseason. Still, first glances don’t tell all. Ibaka is also going to be a free agent after next year and there have been whispers he’d walk.

    This trade makes the Thunder better. It gives big men Steven Adams (who really has gotten better and better) and Enes Kanter more playing time and responsibility. It gives the Thunder, finally, a third scorer they can rely on in Oladipo (plus he’s just 24) and a young big in Sabonis who could one day be another Ibaka. But the biggest thing this trade does for the Thunder? It gives the team a small-ball lineup that can challenge any team in the league — the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers included.

    BLESSINGS!

    Oh, OK.

    SOCIAL STATUS

    Former University of North Carolina forward Brice Johnson was selected late in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers, but the night wasn’t all about celebrations. Before the draft Supercuts celebrated Johnson by sharing this ad:

    Let’s just say Twitter (including former UNC player Kendall Marshall) gave him that work:

    https://twitter.com/KButter5/status/746114240499572738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    https://twitter.com/WussupChris/status/746124004881240065

     

    FOR THE CULTURE

    Check out Kid Cudi’s new track called Goodbye.

    The FADER spent time with rapper Vince Staples, who just might be a genius.

    A look at the 10 best (and 10 worst) BET Awards moments.

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. YOU GOOD, BOOGIE?

    2. NOTHING TO SEE HERE

    3. NOT FEELING SO LUCKY

    #ICYMI

    Our man Mike Wise wrote a strong, thought-provoking column Thursday on the America’s nostalgic gun culture and who is responsible for carrying that burden:

    Because people who look like me refuse to enact laws to make it more difficult to buy these weapons of mass destruction, we indirectly control whether people of color keep killing each other by gunshot. This is not white guilt; it’s white shame. We started this bloodbath and we allow it to continue. Our warped, thin-skinned and myopic mindsets ensure that we absorb every gun-control proposal as an attack on our constitutional guarantees. We’re so far gone on this issue we now believe our Second Amendment rights supersede you and your children’s rights not to be indiscriminately shot.

     

    PICTURE PERFECT

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Kofie Yeboah asks for Sweet Tea at every restaurant and recites approximately 2.5 Spongebob lines per hour.

    This Story Tagged: What Had Happened Was 2016 NBA Draft