Drawing Board: Top Thunder Roster Options Following Gabriel Deck’s Departure

With the Thunder parting ways with forward Gabriel Deck on Tuesday, Oklahoma City holds a bevy of options moving forward.

In the aftermath of last week’s set of transactions, the Thunder waived Gabriel Deck to open a roster space for Miye Oni, subsequently waived Oni, but also snagged a second-round pick in the process.

With the dust all settled, the Oklahoma City Thunder have opened their first roster space of the season, and heaps of future flexibility come with it.

Here are the top transactions OKC can make with the vacancy:

Sign Aaron Wiggins to Standard Contract

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

In a move shocking to no one, the Thunder’s top transaction features the franchise signing Aaron Wiggins to a standard contract.

Wiggins, age 23, has exceeded all expectations on his two-way deal thus far. After being selected 55th by the Thunder this past draft, the former Terrapin has progressively climbed the rungs within the organization, making footing to the NBA stage last month before striking a starting gig two weeks ago.

In his time in the spotlight, the guard has brought nothing but light. With season averages of 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 18 games, Wiggins has been nothing short of spectacular under his deal. To highlight the wing’s play further, he’s tapped into all three levels as of late, placing averages of 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in his last five contests.

The rookie’s consistent presence both scoring off the ball and defending multiple positions has propped himself on the big stage, and with the Thunder known to sign two-way prodigies to contract conversions – it’d only make sense for Wiggins to be next in line for a multi-year deal.

As a result of Wiggins deal being upgraded, an additional roster space becomes created in the two-way department, allowing Presti and company to further evaluate an OKC Blue prospect extensively at both levels.

Stand Pat Until the Trade Deadline

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

In a move bringing great displeasure to Aaron Wiggins, the Oklahoma City Thunder could go the financially savvy move and simply sit on making transactions.

Under current two-way contract regulations, upgrading Wiggins’ deal now would add zero benefits for this season. As showcased as of late, the Thunder have been able to keep Wiggins exclusively tied to the NBA for a month – and with zero restrictions on call-up days – the Thunder could essentially run Wiggins as a full-time NBA player without needing to uptick pay.

Oklahoma City is well known for treating players in the organization right, and given they collectively traded and waived upwards of $5 million Tuesday, upsizing Wiggins’ $449 thousand contract into a multi-year deal, paying a ballpark $2 million annually, would come with little devastation financially.

However, if the Thunder are looking to utilize their newfound roster spot for extra asset accumulation, such as the Oni deal from Tuesday, keeping the space open until February may be the best option. Given Wiggins’ two-way deal can be converted past the deadline date, Sam Presti could attempt to play the long game to sneak into a multi-team trade or endure a hefty contract for assets.

Consolidate Draft Choices

Eric Hartline / USA Today

The NBA trade market has become swarmed with rookie-scale talent in the recent months, and with Presti’s warchest nearing 40 picks until 2028, he has the artillery for making moves this deadline.

If the Thunder are looking to ramp up their ongoing rebuild, shipping out an assortment of picks to obtain players such as Marvin Bagley or Cam Reddish could easily be in the equation

As for the reasoning behind this deal, even with Deck and Oni out of the door, Oklahoma City still has a heap of potential trade pieces come the deadline. With an expected trade or two down the road, these deadline departures would reopen entry for an Aaron Wiggins contract upgrade, handling him the same rates he’d receive now while also holding a new young asset from the trade market.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.