Thunder 2025-26 Bold Prediction: OKC Moves on From Dieng in Favor of Young Wing

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been busy since winning their first title.

OKC celebrated the championship with a parade less than 48 hours after putting away the Indiana Pacers in Game 7, then added two more players to the organization in the following days. With the selections of Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer, though, the Thunder's had one too many players on their roster.

That resulted in Dillon Jones being traded to the Washington Wizards along with a second round pick in return for Colby Jones, who Oklahoma City quickly waived. The transaction brought OKC's roster back down to 15, as Barnhizer is set to be a two-way player who won't count towards the Thunder's 15-man roster.

Sam Presti and company may be done making trades during the offseason, but there is another move the team could make during the regular season.

If Barnhizer performs well in the Summer Leage and the preseason, as well as his time in the G League and spot minutes on an NBA floor, the Thunder could move Ousmane Dieng before the trade deadline, and convert Barnhizer to a standard contract.

At 6-foot-10 and more than 220 pounds, Dieng has the size and tools to be a solid rotation player. While he hasn't popped much during his time in the Modern Frontier, the former NBL standout is a solid defender with the potential to open more of his offensive game as he gets older and sees more opportunities.

The French wing appeared in 37 games and made one start during his third NBA season, averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43.2% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.

Dieng's best outing of the 2024-25 campaign came in a 19-point win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 3. The 22-year old finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal while shooting 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

While the newly crowned NBA champion clearly still needs to refine his game, Dieng has enough potential to likely draw some interest from other teams. Even if the young wing prospect isn't a heavily sought-after target, the Thunder could attach a second-round pick to Dieng, similar to the Jones deal, to get complete the trade.

Of course, trading Dieng without getting a player in return only makes sense if the team has a solid replacement in mind, and that player could be Barnhizer.

An older prospect, the Northwestern standout is one year older than Dieng, and could be more prepared to help the Thunder right away. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Barnhizer's length and strong build resemble the team's other wing players.

As a senior with the Wildcats, Barnhizer averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. A solid rebounder and passer to go along with his stout defense, the second-round pick should fit well in Oklahoma City's system.

Barnhizer needs to improve as a shooter to become a viable rotation piece moving forward, but in a long regular season that will likely see OKC try to rest some of its key pieces, the No. 44 overall pick could earn time on the court.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Barnhizer proves to be good enough for Presti and company to move on from Dieng, but other second round picks or undrafted prospects like Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams and others have all earned decent minutes in their first years.