Done! 2-for-1 trade! Goodbye Thunder! Next player to be traded emerges

Insider Shams:The Thunder trade Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks for two second-round picks.

Following this transaction, Oklahoma City's luxury tax decreased from $213 million to $152 million; additionally, over the next eight seasons, the Thunder possess a combined 12 first-round picks and 15 second-round picks, two of which are for this year.

Wiggins, born on January 2, 1999, stands 1.96m tall with a 2.07m wingspan as a swingman. He was the 25th pick in the second round of the 2021 draft and spent five seasons with the Thunder, with the following stats:

In 339 regular-season games (100 starts), he averaged 20.3 minutes, 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, shooting 48.7% from the field, 38% from three, and 78.4% from the free-throw line.

In 45 playoff games (all off the bench), he averaged 11.9 minutes, 4.7 points, and 1.9 rebounds, with shooting splits of 41.4%, 32.7%, and 82.1%.

Notably, with Wiggins traded, all four players selected by the Thunder in the 2021 draft have now left the team. The other three are 6th pick Josh Giddey, 18th pick Tre Mann, and 32nd pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

All good things come to an end; every party must eventually conclude~

Back to the point, trading Wiggins is just the appetizer for the Thunder's offseason moves.According to reporter Jake Weinbach, the next player expected to be moved due to salary cap adjustments is Isaiah Joe.Joe, the 19th pick in the second round of the 2020 draft, is a 1.93m tall combo guard with a 2.01m wingspan.

However, whether it's Wiggins or Joe, they are just "small fish." If the Thunder truly want to ease their salary cap burden, they may need to consider moving at least one of Chet Holmgren (5 years, $239 million) or Jalen Williams (5 years, $239 million), as both are set to begin their max rookie extensions next season.

Without a doubt, Jalen Williams—who has shown signs of being injury-prone—is the most likely core member to be traded. He played only 38 games last season, missed the entire second round of the playoffs, and appeared in just three of seven Western Conference Finals games, underperforming and even dragging the team down, directly contributing to the Thunder's failure to defend their championship.

In short, a major roster shake-up for the Thunder seems inevitable.