The Aaron Wiggins Trade Could Be the Blueprint for the Pacers' Next Move

On Father's Day evening, the Atlanta Hawks pulled off their second move of the day by trading for Oklahoma City's Aaron Wiggins. The Thunder received an Atlanta Hawks 2030 second-round pick and the worst of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks 2032 second-round pick.

A move like this is all about saving the Thunder money and helping them get out of the Second Apron. This is one of the first time in Sam Presti's tenure that he was dealing from a position that he couldn't get the upper hand in. Wiggins developed into a terrific bench piece for the Thunder after being selected with the No. 55 overall pick, and will now have a great opportunity to flourish with Atlanta.

According to Bobby Marks, the Thunder were slated to pay a luxury tax bill of $213 million before dealing Wiggins to Atlanta. The trade shed $61 million off their tax bill, and now they still have more moves to make to get below the tax line.

Entering the offseason, Oklahoma City had a projected tax penalty of $213M.

The trade reduces that number to $152M.

The Thunder enter the Tuesday Draft with two picks in the top-17 (no. 12 and 17). https://t.co/Oucm1QefBM
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 22, 2026

Wiggins was someone that I thought would be a good player for the Pacers to inquire about. Indiana needs a bench scorer at the two or three spot with Mathurin no longer on the team, and Wiggins' skillset intrigued me for an inexpensive pickup.

The talented guard has shot 48.7% from the field for his career, while also knocking down 38% of his three-point attempts. Finding someone who is capable of that for two future second-round picks is incredible value and might be a pathway for the Pacers to upgrade their bench depth.

It is being reported by Rob Murrows that the Thunder have also declined the team option on Kenrich Williams. Murrows is the only one to share this information, so take it with a grain of salt, as no major reporter or outlet has shared this information.

Until this is fully confirmed by a local beat reporter like Clemente Almanza of the OKC Thunderwire or ESPN's Shams Charania, I anticipate that the Thunder are doing their due diligence on what trade packages are out there for the final year of Kenrich Williams' contract, or possibly sharp-shooting guard, Isaiah Joe.

Indiana currently has $7.8M in space to take back a contract and still avoid the First Apron. Kenrich Williams makes $7.1M this final season, and could be absorbed into the Pacers finances by giving up a similar trade package the Hawks gave to the Thunder.

Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter in game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, Isaiah Joe would cost too much money to take outright unless the Pacers made other moves, like cutting Potter, Jones, and Jackson. Indiana could trade Sheppard for Joe outright and save the Thunder $6.3M on their salary cap, but it that space would be easily wiped away if they also selected players at picks No. 12 and No. 17.

Isaiah Joe would be a better player for the Pacers than Kenrich Williams from a roster standpoint, but this is the type of move that Pacers fans should keep an eye on. There are a handful of teams that are in the Second Apron that will look to shed salary, and if a player can fit into Indiana's budget and bolsters their bench depth, they should strongly consider making that move.

Atlanta's trade indicates that to get a quality bench player on a good team, if they're in the Second Apron, it won't cost much. Two future second-round picks is almost as cheap as you can get when making a move for a quality role player.

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