Facing both roster and financial crunches, it was only a matter of time before the Oklahoma City Thunder made a roster move. Aaron Wiggins was the first domino to fall as the Thunder shipped their guard to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for two second-round picks (2030 via Atlanta and 2023, least favorable between Hawks/Lakers), ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday.
In other words, a whole lot of nothing.
The Portland Trail Blazers shipped similar assets at February's trade deadline, packaging center Duop Reath and two second-round picks in exchange for Hawks sharpshooter Vit Krejci. Atlanta essentially turned Krejci into Wiggins, and between the two, it's clear who is the more impactful player.
Blazers missed a golden buy-low opportunity on Aaron Wiggins
Krejci fell out of Tiago Splitter's rotation last season as he struggled to adjust to his new environment. Wiggins was the odd man out of OKC, but that was largely due to their historic depth.
The Thunder have Aaron Wiggins locked into a five-year contract, btw. It descends in value every year until the end, when there is a TEAM option.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 9, 2025
If he were on a normal team he'd be, like, a cornerstone player. Untouchable in trade talks. But he plays for OKC. So... eighth man!
One year later, the narrative surrounding Wiggins has drastically changed. But CBS Sports' Sam Quinn does have a point: Wiggins was buried at the end of the bench, and could have a breakout in an increased role with the Hawks.
At the very least, it was worth a low-risk flyer for the Blazers to see how Wiggins would fare elsewhere. Wiggins used to be included in conversations with Deni Avdija as being one of the best contracts in the NBA, so it's not like Portland would be having to take on any financial risk, either.
Like Avdija, Wiggins has a front-loaded contract that descends from $9.2 million next season to a $8.3 million team option in 2028-29. That's the type of team-friendly contract locked up for multiple seasons that Blazers general manager Joe Cronin tends to prioritize in deals, making it all the more puzzling why Portland didn't pursue Wiggins.
Considering Portland's need for wing depth, Wiggins' contract, and untapped potential associated with being underutilized in OKC, we would've potentially even considered including Orlando's 2028 first-round pick for him.
In general, it's not a bad idea to bet on a Thunder player and Sam Presti's elite player evaluation. While it's disappointing Portland missed out on Wiggins for peanuts, Cronin should still be trying to work the phone with Presti this summer.
In all likelihood, this was only the first of several dominoes to fall in OKC. Another potential trade candidate is Isaiah Joe, whose upside isn't quite as intriguing as Wiggins but would arguably be an even better fit to help address Portland's lackluster shooting.
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