Entering 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder possesses one of the best records in the league at 22-9 and sit in second place in the Western Conference standings.
Barring a seismic collapse, the Thunder will enter the Feb. 8 trade deadline as buyers for the first time in years. Considering how filthy rich OKC is with draft capital and roster a bench full of young prospects, the Thunder have enough resources to strengthen its weaknesses with outside additions.
Considering the Thunder’s history, any big-time moves likely won’t happen within the season. Instead, look for OKC to improve on the margins. This could mean adding a bench piece who could provide valuable rotation minutes in the playoffs.
A potential target is Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith. The 30-year-old was part of the Kyrie Irving trade that landed the All-Star guard with the Dallas Mavericks last February.
As the Nets continue to slide — they’re 15-18 and have lost eight of their last 10 games — perhaps they can be seen as a seller in this season’s trade deadline.
In his eighth season, Finney-Smith has developed into a solid wing defender who can stretch the floor. Those prototypes are extremely valuable for contenders as they look to make deep playoff runs.
In 30 games, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.2 points on 45% shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He’s shooting an impressive 43% from 3 on 5.5 attempts.
Finney-Smith’s salary this season is at $13.9 million. Next season, it’ll be $14.9 million and has a player option for the 2025-26 season of $15.4 million.
Those are extremely reasonable numbers for the type of production Finney-Smith brings. If the Thunder acquire him, they’ll get a guaranteed 1.5 seasons of solid play.
Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza worked with Nets Wire’s Sharif Phillips-Keaton to create a deal to see what a possible trade could look like.
CA: One of the more popular names recently as a Thunder trade target has been Finney-Smith. He fits the bill of the type of player OKC historically targets in in-season moves – a quality bench piece who can start and is on a cheap cost-control contract. Before we dive into possible mock trades, how available do you think Finney-Smith will be for the trade deadline?
SPK: I think Finney-Smith will be wanted by almost every contending team in the league looking for a good 3-and-D wing with some size to be the 4 or the 5. In fact, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha recently reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in Finney-Smith and have had an interest in him since last season. There’s been no indication of how willing the Nets are to trade him, but the interest from other teams in the league is there.
CA: I’m not surprised to hear that. If the Nets continue to struggle like they have recently, I’m sure teams will call Brooklyn to gauge its interest in dealing Finney-Smith.
Do you think a package of Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, a 2024 first-round pick via Clippers, a 2027 second-round pick via Timberwolves and a 2027 second-round pick for Finney-Smith and Harry Giles III moves the needle for the Nets?
The draft compensation is nice as the Nets gain an additional first-round pick this year. They also get a young reclamation project in Mann who’s shown flashes his first two seasons but is stuck behind a guard logjam in OKC. He’s under contract for one more year at $4.9 million on his rookie deal, which gives Brooklyn a shot to get an extended look at him before making a long-term decision.
Bertans is filler to make the deal work but he’s a decent wing who loves to shoot from outside. He’s only guaranteed $5.3 million next season after recently reworking his contract with the Thunder to remove a clause that would’ve guaranteed him $16 million next season if he played 75% of games this season — which he wasn’t going to do.
Meanwhile, OKC gets its guy with Finney-Smith and Giles III, who’ll have an expiring $2.2 million salary once it gets guaranteed on Jan. 10. Finney-Smith will slide right in with OKC’s backup wing spot and could spot start if needed.
SPK: I think that would be an acceptable package if the Nets are looking to maximize the value of Finney-Smith before the trade deadline. There were reports that the cost to acquire Finney-Smith would be two first-round picks, but every team views a player differently.
Getting the Clippers’ 2024 first-round pick wouldn’t be the most ideal draft compensation since they should be one of the better teams in the Western Conference this season, but it does add to Brooklyn’s current draft capital, which is better than most teams.
Getting Bertans could be a sneaky good move depending on how much time he gets within the Nets’ rotation, especially given the fact that he can shoot the three-ball and Brooklyn needs as many shooters as they can get.
Getting Mann would be interesting as he has some ability to handle and score the basketball and Brooklyn could use a player of that skill set in someone who’s also still a young player. This could be one of the better trade packages for the Nets assuming that Finney-Smith could get this kind of haul.
CA: Glad that package works for the Nets. It seems like a fair deal for both sides. The Thunder gets 1.5 years of quality wing depth of someone with notable playoff experience — Finney-Smith has started all 35 playoff games he’s appeared in and averaged 36 minutes.
Meanwhile, Mann gets a fresh start with the Nets, who could provide him with rotation minutes — something he no longer had in OKC this season. Bertans isn’t a massive loss either. Giving up LA’s first-round pick stings a little but that’s the price to pay for contention.
Trade details:
- Thunder receive: Dorian Finney-Smith and Harry Giles III
- Nets receive: Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, a 2024 first-round pick via Clippers, a 2027 second-round pick via Timberwolves and a 2027 second-round pick
