The Sacramento Kings are sending 2025 first-round pick Nique Clifford to the Oklahoma City Thunder for two second-round picks, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Sunday.
Going from NBA purgatory in Sacramento to the best organization in the league in OKC will be quite the upgrade for Clifford. He was struggling to crack the rotation in Sacramento this season, averaging just 1.6 points in 6.3 minutes. But Clifford was far more productive in his rookie campaign, averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 42/33/72 shooting splits.
This move on the margins won't fill the void on the wing for the injury-riddled Thunder, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Clifford was an intriguing prospect coming out of Colorado State because of his versatility as a 6-foot-5 wing, which aligns perfectly with the direction the league is headed. It's also a great fit for a team like the Thunder and GM Sam Presti, who covets these multi-dimensional players.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets were two other teams that expressed interest in Clifford, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. Why weren't the Portland Trail Blazers on that list?
Blazers should've targeted Nique Clifford for much-needed wing depth
Like the Thunder, the Blazers also have suffered extensive injuries in the playmaking and wing departments, losing Shaedon Sharpe, Ja Morant, and most recently Vit Krejci. That's forced head coach Micah Nori to rely on two-way players like Chris Youngblood in expanded roles less than ten games into the season. Not ideal.
Between the Jared McCain trade with the Philadelphia 76ers last season and now this Clifford deal with the Kings, it's clear Presti understands the importance of depth in today's NBA. The Blazers have some underrated depth pieces with players like Sidy Cissoko stepping up this season. But they also need a deeper roster, especially when they don't have a true superstar. Portland's strength needs to be depth, and missing out on these trades like Clifford, or not even being mentioned as a team to have expressed interest, could come back to hurt them this season.
It's a long season, and this recent losing streak against potential playoff matchups like the Lakers and Spurs shows how important seeding and home-court advantage will be for the Blazers. Hopefully Cronin makes a move to address their lack of wing depth before February's deadline. But they need even more urgency, given how badly their injuries have already piled up this early in the season.
Cronin said this team was maybe a little thin at the wing heading into the season, and now that weakness has already been further exposed. Clifford is the type of recent first-round pick the Blazers should be taking a flyer on, especially for just two second-rounders.
Presti and the Thunder continue to show why they are the best front office in the league with these wins on the margins. Portland is slowly constructing a similar roster full of versatile players all capable of making plays and decisions on the court. They also unfortunately have a similar timeline as an ascending young team. The Thunder continue to widen that gap between them and second-tier teams out west like the Blazers, and it's because of Presit's ability to find underrated deals on the margins like McCain and most recently Clifford.
Portland failed to beat them to the punch again, which stings even more as a team that still has its final spot on the 15-man roster open after waiving Jeremy Sochan. Clifford would've been a cheap addition that added valuable, much-needed wing depth to a shallow, injury-riddled bench.
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