NBA trade grade: Thunder send Aaron Wiggins to Hawks for draft picks

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have made the first of presumably several moves this offseason. They traded away Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two future second-round picks. The first trade of the summer has officially kicked things off with the 2026 NBA draft a day away.

Needing to make several long-term decisions on their roster, the Thunder are about to go through changes. For the first time in a couple of summers, we're about to see some old faces depart and fresh faces join the team. Such are the realities of the NBA's new strict cap world.

Due to a combination of basketball and financial reasons, the Thunder traded away Wiggins. Meanwhile, the Hawks add more depth to their roster. Let's break down the trade from both sides and hand out a final grade from OKC's perspective:

Why the Thunder made the move​

After five seasons with the Thunder, Wiggins was due for a change of scenery. On a roster filled with them, he's one of their best developmental success stories. He went from the No. 55 pick in the 2021 NBA draft to establishing himself as a legitimate rotation player who helped OKC bring home a 2025 NBA championship. But professional sports are a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. And by the end of their recent playoff run, he was on the outside of the rotation.

Wiggins regressed across the board. He only averaged 9.4 points on 43.1% shooting and 3.1 rebounds. The outside shooting dropped to 35.6% from 3 on 4.2 attempts. Given the latter half of OKC's schedule to figure things out, he just never looked like himself. The finishing numbers fell off a cliff and the defense was flat-out bad. Guys like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain usurped him in the rotation.

At that point, the Thunder likely saw Wiggins play his best basketball there. The 27-year-old fell too far behind in the rotation to really catch up and bounce back next year at OKC. Instead, the most seamless move to make for both sides was to find a new NBA home. Not only did it clear a roster spot and rotation minutes for the younger players on the roster, but financially, it made all the sense in the world.

As mentioned earlier, the Thunder are about to see their payroll balloon for the rest of the decade. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are about to eat up most of their salary cap for the foreseeable future with contract extensions kicking in. That means OKC has to get creative to fill out the supporting cast. One way to do it is by creating a little bit of wiggle room by shaving Wiggins' contract.

In a vacuum, Wiggins' contract isn't horrendous. In fact, it's the opposite. He has three years, $25.4 million left on his deal. That includes a team option for the 2028-29 season. That's about as team-friendly as you can get for a bench scorer. But by moving him, OKC's projected tax penalty dropped from $213 million to $152 million. Yep, you read that right — moving him saved a jaw-dropping $61 million for ownership's pockets.

It sucks that these are the realities of the NBA world, but the Thunder had more incentive to make Wiggins for nothing than to keep him around for another year. You can easily match his production with other members of the roster at 10 cents on the dollar — at least relative to what OKC's megasized payroll situation was going to be if it just ran it back with this group.

Why the Hawks made the move​

For the Hawks, you get another buy-low candidate. They've built a helluva roster with that mentality. Guys like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Jonatha Kuminga have joined Atlanta over the last year with new opportunities forked over on their plate. All three — to various degrees — have taken full advantage of their new NBA homes. Wiggins hopes to continue the trend.

Now and then, one NBA season feels like three. The Hawks went through that this past year. At the start, they tried one last hoorah at making things work with Trae Young. Instead, they plummeted down the standings. But once he was out with an injury, they were revitalized. Jalen Johnson turned into a triple-double machine and became their best player. And Alexander-Walker suddenly graduated into a 20-point scorer.

After the Hawks emotionally said goodbye to Young in a trade, they sprinted towards the finish line. For the last couple of months, Atlanta was one of the best teams in the regular season. Alas, they fell short in a six-game series loss to the New York Knicks. But at least they entered the offseason with some sorta plan. Doubling down with this group, they signed McCollum to a one-year, $21 million extension. A few hours later, they added Wiggins for relatively nothing.

I like this move for the Hawks. You bet that Wiggins bounces back in a new situation — especially in the East. He has four years of history as a productive NBA player. You rely on that sample size more than last year's. And at 27 years old, he should theoretically still be in his basketball prime. And considering just how cheap and descending his contract is, there's zero risk if things flame out. Especially since the cost was just two meaningless second-round picks.

This is how the Hawks have constructed their roster over the last year. They've become a pseudo-NBA home for guys trying to jumpstart their careers again. Wiggins is the latest addition. For what it's worth, I bet he returns to being a positive player. No doubt that the stakes are lower in Atlanta and the competition isn't as rigid as it is out West.

Final thoughts​

Welcome to the NBA's Second Apron realities, Thunder. For the first time in this era, this is the first roster move where the only incentive made was a financial one. Sad that you can get punished as a small-market team for drafting well, but that's Adam Silver's league for you. OKC can't control the rules. All it can do is play within the parameters of them.

In this case, salary-dumping Wiggins had far more pros than cons. I think this has less to do with OKC's thoughts on him as a player and more to do with the cost-cutting aspect. If you can save over $60 million in tax bills by simply moving on from your 12th man at the end of the bench, every smart NBA front office will do so. Especially when that player just had his worst year and was outside of the rotation — with several younger and cheaper replacements ahead of him in the totem pole.

Besides, maybe those two draft picks turn out to be something. The Thunder acquired Atlanta's 2030 second-round pick and the least favorable of Atlanta's and the Los Angeles Lakers' 2032 second-round pick. Best-case scenario, you get a productive player that late in the draft — ala Wiggins at No. 55. Worst-case scenario, you just add more currency to your draft capital — which is starting to look bare after being filthy rich for most of the decade.

It sucks that the Thunder are motivated to make a trade beyond just improving their roster. In an ideal world, that's how every NBA franchise would run its team. Obviously, though, that's wishful thinking. That said, let's not overdo it if you're OKC. Don't get lost in the sauce of saving money. Remember that you're in a championship window with arguably the best group you'll ever have. One NBA championship is special, but they're capable of winning more. Cash in while you can. That's kinda the whole point of being an NBA owner.

Final Grade: C-minus

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: NBA trade grade: Thunder send Aaron Wiggins to Hawks for draft picks

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