For months now, it has been well established that the OKC Thunder have the most enviable assortment of assets that a team could utilize on the trade block.
From former lottery-selected talents to future first-round draft rights, Sam Presti and company's war chest is filled to the brim with top-shelf value.
Excitingly enough, as of January 15, the franchise finds said value appreciating even higher as they've officially now added two specific players to their stockpile of tradeable commodities.
Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins officially eligible to be traded by Thunder
This summer, the Thunder re-upped with wings Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to new, multi-year contracts following their highly productive 2023-24 campaigns.
Signed to the tune of $45 million and $48 million, respectively, the decision to lock down this duo was widely celebrated among the fanbase and perceived as a sign that they would serve as core rotation players for the next several seasons.
Through 39 games played, both Wiggins and Joe have once again proven themselves to be regular staples within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation, with the former posting 9.7 points and 3.4 boards on 40.1 percent shooting from deep and the latter averaging 8.8 points and 2.6 rebounds on 36.6 percent shooting from distance.
However, as we've seen throughout the year, this title-hungry Thunder squad still has a few weaknesses within their game that the front office should look to address, and, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, or Chet Holmgren, almost anything and anyone must be viewed as feasibly expendable in their efforts of doing so.
Now, as of Wednesday, Wiggins and Joe are officially impacted by this mindset.
As per the league's guidelines, January 15 serves as a date when most players who were re-signed by their teams during the summer become eligible to be used in an in-season trade. Both of Oklahoma City's wings fall into this camp.
What's worth noting is that the Thunder have oft found themselves linked to Brooklyn sniper Cameron Johnson as a possible trade destination during the bulk of this season.
Considering he's earning $22.5 million this year, it's safe to say that either one of Wiggins's ($10.5 million) or Joe's ($12.9 million) 2024-25 salaries would be of great use in a hypothetical exchange.
Not to mention, both could easily pique the intrigue of the rebuilding Nets, as they are 3&D talents in their mid-20s who are attached to fresh new, highly affordable contracts.