Durant on Waiters: 'We're going to make him feel wanted'

The Oklahoma City Thunder rolled the dice by acquiring Dion Waiters from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade on Monday.

While the Thunder didn't give up a ton - they dealt a top-18 protected first-round pick they were unlikely to use on a roster player in June, and sparsely-used Lance Thomas for Waiters - they're adding a somewhat combustible element. Waiters has reportedly clashed with teammates in the past and struggled to settle into a smaller role behind LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.

He'll need to do just that again with the Thunder, where he'll slot in as the backup shooting guard. That means deferring to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for stretches while sharing the reserve lead ball-carrying duties with Reggie Jackson. Considering he's largely a one-dimensional scorer, one who hasn't thrived in a complementary role, the fit seems tenuous.

Concerns aside, count Durant as among those who are fully on-board with the acquisition. Durant spoke Monday about being excited to add Waiters' perceived toughness to the roster, and suggested the Thunder will work harder to make Waiters an effective member of the team:

We're gonna make him feel wanted. I don't think he felt that the last couple years. He's gonna fit in well. He's gonna get comfortable real quick. It's on the leaders - Russell, myself, Nick (Collison) - to make him feel at home and feel special and let him play his game.

I'm not saying he's James' (Harden's) replacement, we're far past that. But yeah, he can play, can come off the bench for us and score and make plays. He's a really food player, man. A lot of people take him for granted, I think.

The Thunder had better hope Durant is correct. Off-court, he may be, but on the court it's unclear if simply enabling Waiters will make him better. He's averaged 14.3 points in 28.1 minutes for his career, but he's shot just 42 percent in getting there and has never been a particularly effective safety valve spotting up.

While the move didn't cost a lot in terms of roster pieces, that draft pick was one of their best trade assets, and the team now finds itself in the luxury tax for the first time ever. They have ample time to get back under the tax, and the team's new-found wing depth suggests another move could occur before the deadline. 

Obviously, Durant and the Thunder think Waiters' scoring ability is worth the risk and the subsequent roster-juggling.