For months, the OKC Thunder have been viewed as a realistic and seamless trade destination for Brooklyn Nets power forward Cameron Johnson.
However, despite his exciting on-paper fit with the team, fans and pundits have expressed some trepidation of late about whether or not any deal will ever materialize. After all, throughout his tenure in Oklahoma City, GM Sam Presti has often shied away from making any sizable in-season moves.
Nevertheless, this still hasn't stopped people from buzzing about the idea of Johnson joining forces with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the top-seeded Thunder, with one Western Conference executive going as far as to tell Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports that his arrival would "amplify" areas of the game they already excel in.
“He can knock down corner 3s and with that team, he would have plenty of chances to do it. They are already a versatile team, they’ve got guys who do a little of everything but he can really just amplify the things they already do well,” the executive said.
There's no question that Johnson's skill-set along with his averages of 19.4 points on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor and 41.9 percent shooting from distance would be a great asset to this Thunder team that currently ranks eighth in points per game and a middling 15 in long-range percentage.
Frankly, the only challenge in executing such a trade is concocting an enticing enough package for Brooklyn to bite on and, though many may just believe picks and salary matches could get a deal done, the anonymous executive believes there's one player, in particular, that could intrigue the Nets enough to pull the trigger.
West exec believes Nets could pursue Thunder rookie Nikola Topic
This past June, the Thunder arguably managed to come away with one of the biggest steals in the 2025 NBA Draft as they snatched up point guard Nikola Topic with the 12 overall selection.
During the month leading into the draft, the Serbia native had positioned himself to be one of the top picks in his class due to his astounding court vision, ball-handling skills, and impressive size for a one guard at 6-foot-6. At one point, his stock had risen so high that there were whispers about him legitimately being in the running for the top pick.
Unfortunately, a partially torn ACL sustained in May plummeted his stock, which, in turn, led to the 20-year-old falling outside of the once-guaranteed top-10 range and into the lap of Oklahoma City.
Now, while the idea behind taking Topic was that the Thunder could use for a secondary ball handler on the roster behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (especially following Josh Giddey's departure), it was always understood that the earliest he'd be able to contribute on the hardwood would be the 2025-26 season.
Though the franchise clearly has the capability of waiting for him to be medically cleared, as they're once again in the running for a top-seeded finish in the Western Conference standings and are a legitimate title threat as currently constructed, the West exec believes that OKC may want to dig even deeper into their win-now mindset.
To them, a way to do that could be by flipping Topic for Johnson.
“If you’re just peeling off a couple of picks and you’re including Topic, who a lot of people think is going to be outstanding, but not for two or three years, then it’d be hard for the Thunder to pass on a chance like that,” the West exec said. “And I don’t think the Nets would get a better offer than that," the executive said.
If the Nets were to part ways with Johnson ahead of the February 6 deadline, it would likely spark a full-out rebuild and tankathon era in Brooklyn. Already, this is being indicated by their reported desire to bring back at least two first-round picks in exchange for his services.
Two things franchises in such a situation generally covet most are draft capital and promising young prospects.
Considering their treasure trove of stored draft capital, it's understood that the Thunder can easily adhere to any demands for the former category.
To the anonymous exec, adding someone of Nikola Topic's talents at the game's most important position into the equation would almost certainly scratch the itch for the latter.