It was announced on Thursday morning that Oklahoma City would send Tre Mann and Davis Bertans to Charlotte in exchange for veteran wing Gordon Hayward.
With Hayward's incoming guaranteed $31.5 million this season in his final year of the contract, the Thunder opted to throw in an extra prospect to allow the transaction to be completed.
That third man – in addition to sending currently undisclosed draft compensation – was Vasilije Micic, the former two-time Euro League champion and Euro League MVP who made his trek overseas to Oklahoma City over the summer.
Drafted late in the second round in 2014, Micic had decided not made the move to the NBA until this past season, entering at an opportune time on a budding Oklahoma City squad.
And after not having an established role during the first couple months of the season, the 6-foot-3 facilitator began to carve out an impactful role in the second unit acting as a primary offensive initiator, and pulling off dazzling cross-court passes as a seamless fit in the Thunder's offense.
In the month of January, Micic averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 assists in just 11.4 minutes per game, notching his career-high of 12 points on 50% shooting in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 31.
Now, Oklahoma City must rely on others to facilitate en lieu of Micic's departure.
Hayward certainly has the capability to put the ball on the deck and get his own at times, but he will not come close to replicating the vision and on-court awareness to get teammates involve as Micic did.
And as we've seen, Jalen Williams has been a recurring initiator of the Thunder offense – and if the team doesn't acquire a backup lead guard by the trade deadline later today, he'd more than likely be expected to handle those duties as a starter intertwined with the bench unit.
Losing a player like Micic will be difficult to supplant, even if he was getting limited playtime in Oklahoma City.
And as his much anticipated arrival to the league has seemingly dissipated, Micic will get his opportunity to truly showcase his skillset in Charlotte.
More must-reads: