Everyone knew the Oklahoma City Thunder needed to start shedding salary and clearing roster spots for cheaper deals in anticipation of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams having their new extensions kick in. Sunday night saw the first of those moves take shape.
Shams Charania reported on Twiter/X: "The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing a trade to send guard Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks (Atlanta's in 2030 and the least favorable of Hawks/Lakers in 2032), sources tell ESPN."
Wiggins has three years left on his five-year, $45 million deal. The former Thunder wing was set to make around $9 million in 2026-27. That is a pretty manageable contract in a vacuum, but Oklahoma City understandably needed it gone to take one step toward avoiding the dreaded second apron while retaining other key players.
Wiggins and Isaiah Joe were long viewed as the two most gettable players and contracts amid the Thunder's efforts of a soft makeover this summer. Many Los Angeles Lakers fans were hoping that is where the team's cap space could have come in for a cheap but useful upgrade to their second unit. Instead, the Thunder ended up gaining from the subtraction.
Lakers accidentally helped Aaron Wiggins relocate from Oklahoma City to Atlanta
Wiggins was a capable option for the Thunder during the 2025-26 regular season before losing his spot in the rotation for the NBA Playoffs. That speaks for to the depth of the roster in Oklahoma City than it does to his ability. The 27-year-old is a solid role player.
The Lakers even offered an unintentional helping hand in getting this deal done. Cap expert Keith Smith specified that Atlanta's $11 million TPE created from moving Luke Kennard to Los Angeles should be a part of getting this trade done.
That set up the perfect circumstances for the Thunder. Instead of being potentially forced to pay for getting off one of their contracts, they found a willing suitor who had the flexibility to acquire Wiggins and surrender two second-round picks for the opportunity.
The Lakers unknowingly cost themselves their shot to acquire the former champion for scraps.
There should be more coming from the Thunder after this move. Even after clearing out Wiggins, Sam Presti should still have more up his sleeve if he wants to retain some combination of Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Kenrich Williams.
Perhaps the Lakers can get in on the fun when that next move happens. They took away their own opportunity with Wiggins.
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