The OKC Thunder have been one of the most heavily buzzed about ball clubs throughout this year's NBA trade season and, until next month's deadline comes to pass, one shouldn't expect that to change.
Considering they're the top team in the Western Conference standings at 35-7, sport the league's seventh-lowest payroll, and possess one of the most enviable collections of expendable assets, it's more than apparent that Oklahoma City is in a prime position to strike on a splashy, in-season deal that could help shore up any weak spots in their on-court execution.
Despite their status thus far into the regular season, the Thunder have quite a few of these.
Because of this, many have pointed to Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson as an ideal option for the team to consider pursuing, as his skill set coupled with his size and positional versatility is seen as a seamless fit within Mark Daigneault's rotation.
On an even bigger scale, to Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, there's an argument to be made that he may even be "the final piece of this club's championship puzzle.
Cam Johnson tabbed as potential 'final piece' to Thunder title puzzle
While fully acknowledging that the Thunder could "just sleep their way through trade season" considering their successes to this point, Buckley highlighted some of the team's most glaring flaws such as their lack of length at the forward position and pedestrian perimeter shooting (rank 18 in three-point percentage).
With this, it should come as little to no surprise that he's pegged the idea of adding the 28-year-old as a solution to these issues, as Johnson measures in at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and boasts a career 39.7 percent conversion rate from distance.
Through 34 games played in 2024-25, the tweener forward finds himself raising his own already impressive bar even higher, as he's amid a tremendous campaign where he's posting new career highs of 19.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 42.6 percent shooting from distance while also recording 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Frankly, there's no strong argument to be made that a guy like Cam Johnson wouldn't be an ideal fit for this Thunder team, especially when considering just how effective he is as a scorer off-ball (effective field goal percentage of 64.7 on catch-and-shoot attempts).
Perhaps the only drawback for them making such a deal is the asking price Brooklyn has for their coveted stud, as the current buzz is that they are looking for two first-round picks or at least the equivalent with young talents.
Of course, considering the Thunder's treasure chest of draft capital, meeting this market value wouldn't be all that hard for Sam Presti and company should they wish to stray away from their regular reluctance of striking on in-season transactions.
Unfortunately, recent reports suggest that a change to this approach may not be a guarantee, though, still with a few weeks until February 6's deadline and injuries once again piling up, this title-hungry OKC team shouldn't be counted out as a potential buyer on the trade market -- especially when the "final piece" to their "championship puzzle" may be up for grabs!