Thunder trade Aaron Wiggins to Hawks
Per ESPN, the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for second-round picks in the 2030 and 2032 drafts, respectively. After the Jared McCain acquisition at the 2026 trade deadline, Wiggins continued to struggle on offense and faded from the rotation. After a brief appearance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Spinals, Wiggs only appeared during garbage time the rest of the way.
Taking no salary back means OKC will gain some breathing room as it enters its first season operating around the second apron and luxury tax. GM Sam Presti is still juggling incoming draft picks, team options for Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, and Kenrich Williams, and long-term decisions about how to preserve the Thunder's title viability within the new, restrictive CBA.
A fan favorite who delivered a legendary speech during the Thunder's 2025 championship celebration, we will miss meme-ing "Aaron Wiggins saves basketball" after a random game in March.
Aaron Wiggins’ OKC championship speech will never be topped. pic.twitter.com/5B2RJc3lcj
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) June 22, 2026
The 55th pick in the 2021 draft, Wiggins embodied the hard-work development program that has defined the Thunder's championship rebuild more than top-end draft selections of tanking eras past.
Back in April, when the writing was on the wall for Wiggs, I wrote:
He's 10th in career Win Shares from the 2021 draft class...edging out all types in the imperfect stat that, if nothing else, captures production and contribution for a winning team: high upside Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga; value positive Quentin Grimes and Jalen Suggs; high floor Chris Duarte and Davion Mitchell; and one of the San Antonio We're Smart Not Lucky Spurs' two top-12 castaways, Josh Primo... Wiggins has already built a career those players could envy, playing a meaningful role for a championship team across multiple seasons. He's more than earned his legendary Thunder status.
Brandon Rahbar
