Thunder are best positioned to acquire highly coveted wing

All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram are the best available players in trades, but Cameron Johnson may be the most coveted. 

The Nets wing's budget-friendly contract, elite three-and-D production and the fact that he's a plug-and-play piece have made him a highly sought-after player ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. And the Nets — preparing to enter a rebuild — acknowledge Johnson's value and are reportedly seeking multiple first-round picks in a trade. 

No team is better positioned to fulfill Brooklyn's demands than the Thunder, who have a chest of first-round draft picks and the contracts of Isaiah Joe ($12.9M) and Aaron Wiggins ($10.5M) they can use in a deal for Johnson. Such a hypothetical trade would ensure the Thunder retain all their core pieces and massively upgrade on the wings.

Johnson — averaging career-highs in points (19.1), 3PT% (.429) and assists (3.1) — could be the last piece the Thunder need to ascend to a championship-level team. After losing to the Mavericks in last year's playoffs, GM Sam Presti addressed some issues with the acquisitions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. 

Yet, a lot of those issues, especially with physicality, resurfaced during their NBA Cup final loss to the Bucks. Johnson would instantly help the Thunder with some of their size issues. At 6-foot-8, he can slot into the four spot, the position that 6-foot-5 Jalen Williams and 6-foot-4 Luguentz Dort have been playing all season. 

When Chet Holmgren returns from his injury, the Thunder could trot out big lineups with Hartenstein, Holmgren and Johnson to counter some issues they've encountered from bigger teams over the last two years. 

It turns out we aren't the only ones who feel the Thunder and Johnson would be a great match. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Thunder are among the teams interested in acquiring Johnson.

With or without Johnson, the Thunder (26-5) are on pace for their first 60-win season since the 2012-13 campaign. Mark Daigneault's team won its 11th game in a row Sunday in a 130-106 rout of the Grizzlies.