Reggie Jackson asks for trade from Thunder

The Thunder guard has been frustrated with his role all season and reportedly asked for a trade. Oklahoma City could send him away rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson has requested to be traded before the deadline on Thursday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Jackson's agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA, informed the team of the player's wish in the past seven to 10 days.

After failing to reach a contract extension on his rookie deal back in October, Jackson is set to his restricted free agency this summer. Part of his trade request involved telling the Thunder he'll resist returning to OKC if they match any offer he receives as an RFA, effectively encouraging them to deal him now before making things complicated in the offseason.

When asked about the situation following Thunder practice Wednesday, Jackson briefly deflected the question.

Asked if he wants to be with the Thunder, Jackson said, "I would love to play basketball."

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 18, 2015

Jackson's answer to being asked about @WojYahooNBA's report: "Just getting ready for tomorrow. I'm not sure about that."

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 18, 2015

It's unclear how the Thunder have responded to Jackson's request, but Wojnarowski reports that GM Sam Presti "has been willing to gauge the market and listen to pitches on potential deals as always." The Nets are an option, according to ESPN's Chad Ford.

The team declined to officially comment on the situation.

Jackson has been a nice surprise for the Thunder the past couple years, developing into a potent bench scorer behind Russell Westbrook. He's had ups and downs with his role changing at times due to injuries and other circumstances, though, and it's part of why he likely wants out.

Jackson, who's averaged 12.8 points and 4.2 assists per game, hasn't really seen his game expand at all this season. The arrival of Dion Waiters complicated his role on the roster, and he's also struggled badly on defense, where the team's numbers suffer badly when he's on the court.

So it seems like he hopes a different team can allow him to flourish even more, and the Thunder have to figure out how they fit into that. With just a day before the trade deadline, there isn't a ton of time so they'll have to hurry.

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