Which Recent OKC Thunder Trade Will Have the Best 2026-27 Season?

The Oklahoma City Thunder made significant roster moves following the 2025-26 season.

After falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, OKC traded Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort, a trio of players who played significant minutes for the Thunder over the past few seasons.

The trio of trades helped Oklahoma City evade the dreaded second apron, which will grant the team much more financial flexibility moving forward as the team looks to extend its other young players, like Cason Wallace.

While Mark Daigneault's team should still be formidable without Dort, Wiggins and Joe, all three players were solid pieces for OKC and should be slated for strong seasons in their new homes.

Joe landed with an Eastern Conference contender, the Detroit Pistons. Led by Cade Cunningham, Detroit won 60 games in 2025-26, earning the No. 1 seed in the East.

During the postseason, though, the Pistons' offense sputtered, as the team struggled to find consistent scorers outside of Cunningham. Detroit drafted Ebuka Okorie to help relieve some of those issues, and Daniss Jenkins continues to emerge as a solid player, but adding a sharpshooter like Joe should also give the Pistons a significant boost.

Joe averaged a career high 11.2 points for the Thunder in 2025-26, shooting 42.3% from 3-point range on six attempts per game. The 27-year-old should get even more opportunity in Detroit, and will benefit from playing with another strong playmaker in Cunningham.

As a result, Joe could have a productive season for the Pistons.

Dort and Wiggins were both traded to Atlanta, who also reached the playoffs in 2026. The Hawks didn't make it past the first round, as the team squared off against the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.

Wiggins should add another scoring threat to an Atlanta team that relied heavily on CJ McCollum during the postseason, making the Hawks' offense more dynamic.

While Wiggins had a down year in 2025-26, the 27-year-old has proven to be a contributor on the biggest stage. The five-year veteran scored 18 points in a Game 2 NBA Finals win against the Indiana Pacers, and logged 14 points in a Game 5 victory.

Wiggins likely won't see as prominent of a role as Joe, but could still be an important piece of the Hawks' rotation.

Dort could also be a significant part of Atlanta's rotation, even if he doesn't offer the same skill set on offense as Wiggins. Dort may not put up the same scoring numbers as Wiggins, but can play great defense and be a solid perimeter shooter.

Dort also had a down year during the 2025-26 campaign, but earned All-Defense honors in 2024-25 while shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc on 5.8 attempts per game.

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