Grading The Trade: Hawks Acquire SG Aaron Wiggins From The Oklahoma City Thunder

It wasn't the trade most of the NBA landscape was expecting, but the Hawks have officially made their first outside acquistion of the offseason.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Hawks have acquired SG Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for two second-round picks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing a trade to send guard Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks (Atlanta's in 2030 and the least favorable of Hawks/Lakers in 2032), sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ypffJ3jMOk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2026

Oklahoma City was always going to be looking into trading some of their players this summer. They are already far over the second apron and they have an ample amount of draft capital. Attaching two seconds to a long-term contract like Wiggins makes a good deal of sense. Per Spotrac, he's due $9.028 million in 2026-27 and $8.16 million in 2027-28 no matter what. There's a club option in 2028-29 for $8.16 million that the Hawks can accept or decline.

The contract only slots in at about 5.47% of the cap. That's not an exorbitant amount for a rotation player, but the risk with Wiggins is notable. It's possible that the Hawks could have scammed their way into adding an end-of-bench rotation option, but the decline in his play and his age are certainly worrying factors. As a result, it's a more complicated deal to break down.

Wiggins The Winner

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Wiggins, Aaron Wiggins, Thunder, OKC Thunde — May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) dribbles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Aaron Wiggins is one of the better players the Hawks could have realistically gotten in a straight salary dump. During OKC's championship season, he averaged 12 points on 38.3% shooting on 4.5 attempts a game while shooting 57.8% from two-point range (84th percentile). He also swung Games 2 and 5 for the Thunder in the NBA Finals, scoring 18 points and 14 points respectively.

Wiggins isn't just a shooter, either. He also had a TOV% of 8.3% in 2024-25, which becomes extremely important in the playoffs where every possession matters. At his best, Wiggins is not someone who routinely hijacks the flow of the offense. He also finished with 1.1 offensive rebounds per game, which was in the 81st percentile relative to his position.

The defense is going to be a swing skill for Wiggins. When he was a part of OKC's impressive defensive framework, he was a great contributor for them. He averaged 1.8 deflections per game in 2024-25, but the best part of his game is the versatility he offers. Wiggins can guard shooting guards or small forwards with relative ease. He was also in the 96th percentile for DFGA/100, suggesting that Wiggins is routinely the closest defender on a lot of different looks and he did a respectable job with those diverse assignments.

If he's completely behind the injuries he experienced in 2025-26, this is another guard/wing who can offer the team more shooting off the bench, respectable defense and a decent handle. It's not very easy to find those players and Wiggins is also on a cheap, long-term contract. For just two seconds, it's a completely reasonable price to pay for some depth with real NBA postseason experience. That experience becomes invaluable to teams that want to improve their ceiling of their rosters without crippling the future.

Isolated Incident or Injury-Prone?

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Wiggins, Aaron Wiggin — Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) against the Phoenix Suns during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The worrying part of acquiring Wiggins revolves around his performance last season. He shot a career-worst 43.1% from the field and his 35.6% from deep is the worst he's had since his rookie season. Furthermore, after three straight seasons of playing 70+ games, he played in 65 games and dealt with nagging injuries the whole time. He dealt with thigh, adductor and groin injuries in just this season alone.

If the three-point percentage continues to slip and Wiggins' defense declines due to injury, this is going to be a potentially costly mistake for the Hawks. They've already got long-term money sunk inton Corey Kispert and Zaccharie Risacher. It's probably to say that neither player has provided the impact that their draft profile would have suggested.

Even so, this is still a decent bet to take and it doesn't cut off any future flexibility for the Hawks' front office. I think the actual upside of Aaron Wiggins is a bit lower than what fans saw in the 2024-25 season, but there's no reason why Wiggins can help the Hawks in the regular season as a backup option for Dyson Daniles or even an occasional start due to injury.

Final Grade: B

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