By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Another day and another European upstart on the way out of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following in the footsteps of Czech point guard Vit Krejci going to the Atlanta Hawks, French point guard Theo Maledon departs and will be a new player for the Houston Rockets.
Maledon, 21, was included in an eight-player trade alongside Derrick Favors and Ty Jerome, per ESPN, and later officially confirmed. Also, Maurice Harkless who was already involved in the Krejci deal, a 2026 second-round draft pick, and cash considerations are heading to Houston as well. In compensation, the Thunder will receive David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss.
Two trade exceptions and dropping under the luxury tax threshold were outside advantages spilling out for the Thunder.
Maledon was selected 34th overall in the 2020 NBA draft, after three seasons at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne including 22 games played in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 20 in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Jumping to the NBA, he logged 116 appearances, including 56 starts over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. He most recently played in 2022 EuroBasket for France tallying 3.7 points per game in a minor role under senior national team selector Vincent Collet en route to winning the silver medals.
Moving forward, Maledon is expected to stick around at the Rockets, while the Thunder will be left with yet another European prospect, Aleksej Pokusevski, The Serbian forward was not permitted to represent his country in this summer’s EuroBasket, instead focused on getting ready for the next NBA season.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL