Grading OKC Thunder Trade of Aaron Wiggins to Hawks

Grading OKC Thunder trading Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta Hawks

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the offseason needing to save money on their impending tax bill, create roster spots and lightly reshape their championship-level roster. Wiggins was an easy candidate to predict the team moving on from. This trade saved Oklahoma City over $60 million in taxes, created a roster spot and lost the team a non-playoff rotational piece. All while not having to attach an asset to do it, despite their lack of leverage.

The Atlanta Hawks get a really good deal. A flyer on Wiggins, who is on a team-friendly deal and at the very least can help the Hawks navigate the 82-game season as an additive player with playoff upside. Sure, Wiggins is no spring chicken anymore, but the upside can come from his comfort level. It is hard for a role player to perform in the postseason when his minutes ebb and flow as much as they did in Oklahoma City.

With a more consistent workload in Atlanta, while not being forced to scale up and attempt to defend power forward, he should perform better on both ends and make this a solid addition to the Hawks.

While the Thunder accomplished all of its goals with this move, this is also a trade that is great for Wiggins' long-term NBA career. Despite losing out on a fan favorite, it is a loss on the court that the Thunder can withstand while still being one of the NBA's biggest title favorites and meanwhile sets Wiggins up to be in a better position as a player. A win all the way around.

Sure, some may walk away with a puzzled look on their face after seeing Oklahoma City only net a pair of second-round picks for a regular-season rotation piece, but it is important to keep the context in mind. Not only did OKC have a lack of leverage by their need to create roster spots and save money being so transparent, but Wiggins is coming off the worst year of his career with how he ended the regular season and postseason while not proving yet –– beyond a few flashes –– to be especially valuable on the biggest stage. That can (and likely will!) change for Wiggins in a better environment for his game with the Hawks.

OKC Thunder Grade: A –– Wiggins is no longer a fit for this team. Not only did his offense fall off a cliff in the second half of the season, but his defense has not developed to a point where he is playable in high-leverage spots. With Oklahoma City asking him to play the power forward position, it was never going to work on that end of the floor. With inconsistent offense, especially in the biggest games of the year, he was pushed down the pecking order for Mark Daigneault in the games that matter for the Thunder. To save money, open up a roster spot and not have to attach an asset to do it, this was a great move by OKC.

Aaron Wiggins Grade: A+ –– The Atlanta Hawks roster construction is such that Wiggins should be able to play a more comfortable position at shooting guard or small forward for most of his minutes. This will make him look way better defensively and keep him on the floor. So long as he can find his offensive groove again, this is a great pick-up for Atlanta. There is also postseason upside to Wiggins. Sure, he never figured it out in Oklahoma City and likely wouldn't, but things are different in Atlanta. Without going 10-plus players deep in the playoffs, the Hawks will be able to give him a more stable role. That comfort is huge for a role player and can get the most out of him. He should have a fantastic year in Atlanta and be viewed extremely favorably after this season. The talent is there; the better positions he will be put in that Oklahoma City couldn't afford to give him will make all the difference in the world.

Atlanta Hawks Grade: A+ –– The Hawks are loaded with wings, so this is an interesting addition to their roster. However, it is a no-risk, high-reward move. Wiggins' contract is absurdly team-friendly. Ff he has the same flaws that he did in Oklahoma City, that just means you have a cheap regular-season rotational player on your roster, and for a team without title aspirations, the question marks around his postseason performances just aren't there. However, if he hits, as this scribe has made the case for in the above portion, it is a fantastic value both in his contract and what it took to land the Maryland product.