The OKC Thunder are currently the top seed in the Western Conference standings with a record of 20-5 and lead the league in many key statistical categories such as defensive rating, net rating, and plus-minus.
Yet despite their impressive on-court production and overall successes through these first few months of the 2024-25 campaign, with their slew of injuries, long-range shooting blunders, and lackluster tertiary scoring punch it's safe to say that this team is still far from flawless.
Because of this, many fans and pundits have become quite vocal about their desire to see Sam Presti and company pursue outsourced help this trade season in an effort to address their remaining glaring weaknesses. Perhaps the most consistent name found linked to the franchise as a potential target is Brooklyn Nets power forward Cameron Johnson.
From his specific position to his sensational play style, the 28-year-old has often been regarded as one of the most ideal options the Thunder could consider pursuing between now and February's deadline.
Considering their slew of draft picks and the fact that the Nets are amid a clear all-out teardown, Oklahoma City also clearly projects as a frontrunner in any potential league-wide pursuit for his services.
Now, while the concept of a trade may still reside in the hypothetical realm and, in turn, is merely speculative, the sharpshooter's recent remarks on The Young Man and the Three are only bound to make the ongoing "Cam Johnson to the OKC Thunder" chatter even louder.
Cameron Johnson's recent comments should only amplify Thunder link
When speaking on the current state of his Nets, Johnson seemed to make it abundantly clear that he's not necessarily looking to be a part of a rebuild.
He noted during his appearance on the podcast that the uncertainty of his and his teammates' status on the tanking franchise is "very difficult" to navigate and, in many ways, could be viewed as a "death sentence" to some players' careers.
However, perhaps the most noteworthy comment he made (at least, for Thunder fans) came in reference to what his internal desires are at this stage in his career, as he acknowledged that he "inherently" wants to compete "at a high level and it can bother you deeply when you're not."
What makes these remarks so notable is the fact that they have surfaced at a time when Johnson's name is constantly being floated around within the NBA's trade rumor mill.
Earlier this week, in fact, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie went as far as to rank the forward as a top-three target for teams to monitor ahead of February 6 and described him as "about as perfect a trade deadline candidate as you can find, because he fits like a glove everywhere and shouldn't be all that difficult to integrate midseason."
In said piece, the Thunder were listed among the "best fits" for the forward.
Being they rank a middling 19 in three-point shooting despite hoisting up the ninth-most attempts from deep, it makes a ton of sense why a career 39.7 percent shooter from deep in Cameron Johnson who's averaging 18.6 points on 43.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc this season would be viewed as a quality addition.
Now, with these comments expressing his desire to compete at a high level, one should only expect trade speculation regarding Oklahoma City and the sniper forward to increase as we may our way closer to the deadline.