Men's Basketball

Former Bluejay Doug McDermott Traded From Chicago Bulls to Oklahoma City Thunder

Just before Thursday’s NBA trading deadline, former Creighton great Doug McDermott was shipped to Oklahoma City as part of a package deal. McDermott heads to the Thunder along with Taj Gibson and a second round draft pick forย Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.

McDermott had been averaging 10.2 points per game in his third year with the Bulls, and heads to a Thunder team headlined by one-time Creighton recruit Russell Westbrook. No, really: the eventual UCLA great and NBA All-Star visited Omaha in September 2005, and was almost a Creighton Bluejay. Here’s the recruiting visit itinerary, courtesy of none other than McDermott a few years back on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/dougmcdermott/status/336561474522718209

The Bulls were likely to miss the playoffs and feature a front office in turmoil, with John Paxson,ย Gar Forman and coach Fred Hoiberg all rumored to be on the hot seat. Meanwhile, the Thunder are preparing to try for a run through the Western Conference playoffs — though Kevin Durant left in the offseason for Golden State, they remain a formidable team.

Here’s some quick articles on the trade from around the internet:

And here’s some of the early reaction on Twitter from around Creighton Nation and elsewhere:

https://twitter.com/sheaserrano/status/834853020139651072

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