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Etienne Catalan: Aaron Wiggins will wear No. 2 for the #Hawks. Number last worn by Keaton Wallace in 2026. Wallace will wear something else, still TBD. #NBA
Chet Holmgren, an All-Star big man set to enter his fourth season with the Thunder, offered best wishes to Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, who left Oklahoma City in separate offseason trades. Dort, a perimeter stopper and longtime starter, and Wiggins, a reserve wing, will join the Atlanta Hawks. Joe, a backup shooting specialist, was sent to the Detroit Pistons. "That's how the business of this game goes," Holmgren said at a USA Basketball Foundation charity event in Southern California. "No team, all 17 guys, sticks together forever. But it doesn't make it hurt less when you see guys go. At the same time, I'm excited for [Dort and Wiggins] and the opportunity they're going to have in Atlanta. I'm happy for whatever major milestones they reach over there."
Shams Charania: Oklahoma City has now acquired seven second-round picks this offseason, shed $224 million in payroll and tax and positioned themselves comfortably under the second apron via the trades of Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Rather than simply declining Dort's $17.7 million team option to save the money, the Thunder picked it up, acquired three future assets, created a $17M trade exception and place their 2025 championship stalwart in position for a new long-term deal in Atlanta which was not viable in OKC.
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Keith Smith: With Buddy Hield on the books at his full $9.6M salary, the Atlanta Hawks are roughly $7.1M under the luxury tax and $15.1M under the first apron. The Hawks have one open roster spot. This factors in the Aaron Wiggins trade, plus both first-round draft picks.
League sources say the Hawks are the most active team in discussing trade scenarios. They completed a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night to acquire Aaron Wiggins into the trade exception they generated when they dealt Luke Kennard to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline. Sources have said Atlanta is discussing both trade-up and trade-down scenarios. But it also could just stay here and take the player it wants if he remains on the board.
Yossi Gozlan: Thunder reduce total roster expenses from $549 million to $476 million just by moving off Aaron Wiggins' $9.2 million salary. Expect a couple more trades to reduce it to a more palatable number.
Jeremy Woo: Draft implications of the Aaron Wiggins deal: the Thunder were staring at a roster crunch and now have a simpler pathway to make both of their first-round selections, (12 and 17) if they want to go that route.
Bobby Marks: Entering the offseason, Oklahoma City had a projected tax penalty of $213M. The trade reduces that number to $152M. The Thunder enter the Tuesday Draft with two picks in the top-17 (no. 12 and 17).
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Shams Charania: The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing a trade to send guard Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks (Atlanta's in 2030 and the least favorable of Hawks/Lakers in 2032), sources tell ESPN.
After being consistent role players for Oklahoma City throughout the past season, league sources say opposing executives have circled the wagon on Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Both players saw limited action against the Spurs in the Conference Finals, despite being key contributors during the regular season, and would represent significant depth upgrades for most teams around the league.
Draymond Green: "How about this guy need to go back and get in the lab and get better and go work on his game because this guy just exposed all your weaknesses and showed everything that you need to get better at. What about the criticism of he need to get back in the lab this summer and be motivated and get better? Why is it we need to trade him? Like these takes they they just seem to get a little lazy at times to me, like trade him, why is all of a sudden everything always about the trade? Up, trade this guy, trade that guy, trade like, what? I just don't understand it. So, no, I don't expect Chet Holmgren to be traded. They will have to make some moves because I also don't foresee OKC paying $250 million in salary and taxes next year and going into the second apron. I don't see that either. So they will have to make some decisions, maybe Lu Dort, maybe Hartenstein, maybe trade Joe, maybe trade Wiggins. Like they're going to have to make some tough decisions for sure. Maybe they trade them picks because if they if they sign their 12th and 17th pick and they keep those and draft those players, it's going to cost them in the first year those salaries $80 million over the course of those two players. So maybe they do some of that stuff, but the whole trade Chet Holmgren is blasphemous, what he did this year."
The most likely candidates to be moved in a trade to rebalance the roster are Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, who have proved to be quality role players but fell out of the rotation during these playoffs. Joe is due $11.3 million next season and has a team option at the same salary for 2027-28. Wiggins is due $9.2 million next season and $8.3 million in 2027-28 with an $8.3 million team option in 2028-29.
