Oklahoma City Thunder Trade D.J. White and Morris Peterson to the Charlotte Bobcats for Nazr Mohammed

Nazr Mohammed, #13, Charlotte Bobcats

This trade probably won't be remembered a couple of years down the line, and I'm sure there will be more than a few people arriving at the Ford Center on Sunday and wondering just who the heck Nazr Mohammed is.

But, those who do know about this trade wonder whether it is a good thing. Morris Peterson was little more than salary, but D.J. White for Nazr Mohammed seems like you're just trading mid-range shooting for rebounding. White isn't great when it comes to the defense or boards, but Mohammed has his own turnover problems. It's almost like a tit-for-tat type of trade, but I suppose the Thunder wanted a tougher guy who would play center off of the bench.

Career Stats:

2009-10: 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 BPG

2010-11: 7.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.9 BPG

Highlights:

Mohammed is basically the prototype for the typical NBA backup center. He does a certain few things very well, but he has flaws, and there are certain things that he does downright terribly. Mohammed can get garbage buckets, much in the vein of Collison, but he also has nice touch around the basket. He can also block shots, but he often finds himself undersized against bigger centers. He can't shoot beyond the paint though, and he has the worst hands the NBA has seen since Adonal Foyle. Perhaps his best asset is his rebounding ability, which allowed him to almost average a double-double at the peak of his career.

D.J. White was acquired by the Supersonics (a month before they would become the Thunder), in a draft day trade in which they gave up second rounders Walter Sharpe and Trent Plaisted. Not a terrible trade, but it was disheartening to hear that White would be out for nearly the duration of the first season. When he debuted in the first season, he looked like a solid forward. But when he actually saw his first serious rotational minutes a couple years later, it was apparent that he was who he was, and he didn't have a lot of potential to expand his game. I mean, being able to knock down mid-range jumpers like they're butter is nice when you're a power forward, but when you're average to mediocre in everything else, how much of an asset is it really? He could have been a solid player had more plays been drawn up for him, but it's not a huge loss to see him gone. We appreciated you man, but we just needed more toughness in the post.

Blink, and you'll miss Morris Peterson's career with the Thunder. Apparently, he's played in four games. I don't remember most of those stints, though I do remember him scoring two points once. All he was in the eyes of management was a nice source of advice for our younger wings and an expiring contract. Swinging him for Mohammed may not have been the deal the Thunder had in mind, but hay, no risk, little reward. Peterson can still play, so hopefully he'll find some minutes next to Eduardo Najera while he plays out the twilight of his career in Charlotte.

Mohammed slots into the backup center part of our rotation, but it's unclear how many minutes he'll get behind Collison. The Thunder may choose to play small and eschew him from the lineup altogether, but with us giving up White in the trade, it's unlikely that we traded for him so he could sit on the bench. He'll probably get 10-15 minutes a game, being brought in to guard good backup big men and score much-needed buckets during offensive droughts.

Mohammed is 33 years old, and his contract expires at the end of this year. He's definitely a one to two year rental for the Thunder, with the intention being that Mullens and/or Aldrich will be able to step up into the backup big man role soon. I wouldn't cross my fingers, but in any case, it's nice to have Mohammed here for now.

What do you think about the trade? Vote in the poll, post a comment!