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The Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement with the Oklahoma City Thunder to trade for forward Aaron Wiggins, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The trade is the first of the offseason as the NBA Draft nears on Tuesday.
In exchange for Wiggins, the Thunder will receive the Hawks' 2030 second-round pick and the less favorable 2032 second-rounder between Atlanta and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The goal for the Thunder is financial, as the team enters the offseason needing careful consideration of how spending is allocated around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren starting their new contracts, Oklahoma City has an expensive roster that already has to navigate the use of the No. 12, 17, and 37 picks in the NBA Draft.
By trading Wiggins and not taking a player back in return, the Hawks are expected to use the $11 million trade exception created by trading Luke Kennard to the Lakers to absorb Wiggins' near-$9 million salary. He signed a five-year, $45 million contract that runs through 2028-29 with a final-year team option worth just under $8.2 million.
Wiggins, 27, was the 55th overall pick in 2021 and spent all five of his NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, ultimately serving as a rotation piece on the franchise's 2025 championship team. He appeared in 339 regular-season games for the Thunder and averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.8 minutes over 65 games last season, with 21 starts, while making 1.5 3-pointers a game.
With how many rotation-caliber players the Thunder roster has, Wiggins' role diminished in this year's postseason. He appeared in only 13 playoff games this season, averaging 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 5.8 minutes per game. He did not play in the Thunder's Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
In Atlanta, Wiggins joins a bench that needed perimeter depth and offers him a clearer path to minutes than he had behind Oklahoma City's crowded backcourt. He projects as a clean fit under head coach Quin Snyder, who emphasizes a style that embraces playing fast and maximizing 3-point shooting volume.
The Hawks already got business done with CJ McCollum by reaching an agreement on a one-year, $21 million contract extension on Sunday. Atlanta faces a looming deadline with Buddy Hield, whose salary will be over $9.6 million fully guaranteed if he's on the roster one day after the NBA Draft. Additionally, the Hawks have until June 29 to decide on Jonathan Kuminga's $24.3 million team option.
Hawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
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In exchange for Wiggins, the Thunder will receive the Hawks' 2030 second-round pick and the less favorable 2032 second-rounder between Atlanta and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The goal for the Thunder is financial, as the team enters the offseason needing careful consideration of how spending is allocated around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren starting their new contracts, Oklahoma City has an expensive roster that already has to navigate the use of the No. 12, 17, and 37 picks in the NBA Draft.
By trading Wiggins and not taking a player back in return, the Hawks are expected to use the $11 million trade exception created by trading Luke Kennard to the Lakers to absorb Wiggins' near-$9 million salary. He signed a five-year, $45 million contract that runs through 2028-29 with a final-year team option worth just under $8.2 million.
Wiggins, 27, was the 55th overall pick in 2021 and spent all five of his NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, ultimately serving as a rotation piece on the franchise's 2025 championship team. He appeared in 339 regular-season games for the Thunder and averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.8 minutes over 65 games last season, with 21 starts, while making 1.5 3-pointers a game.
With how many rotation-caliber players the Thunder roster has, Wiggins' role diminished in this year's postseason. He appeared in only 13 playoff games this season, averaging 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 5.8 minutes per game. He did not play in the Thunder's Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
In Atlanta, Wiggins joins a bench that needed perimeter depth and offers him a clearer path to minutes than he had behind Oklahoma City's crowded backcourt. He projects as a clean fit under head coach Quin Snyder, who emphasizes a style that embraces playing fast and maximizing 3-point shooting volume.
The Hawks already got business done with CJ McCollum by reaching an agreement on a one-year, $21 million contract extension on Sunday. Atlanta faces a looming deadline with Buddy Hield, whose salary will be over $9.6 million fully guaranteed if he's on the roster one day after the NBA Draft. Additionally, the Hawks have until June 29 to decide on Jonathan Kuminga's $24.3 million team option.
Hawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
