As if it wasn't already widely believed that the OKC Thunder came away from their mid-season trade for Jared McCain as the obvious winners, a recent report seems to make such a claim even more inarguable.
According to Sixers reporter Adam Aaronson, Philadelphia had hoped that sending McCain to Oklahoma City "could lead to a deal" involving Aaron Wiggins being shipped back to the City of Brotherly Love.
Of course, as all should be well aware of at this point, the Thunder were able to snatch up the promising sophomore guard from the 76ers without having to part ways with Wiggins in the process.
Instead, Sam Presti and company enticed the now-ousted Daryl Morey with a package of a late 2026 first-round pick and three second-rounders.
Needless to say, the move has done wonders for the Thunder, particularly in this year's postseason where McCain is currently amid a ridiculous breakout run, particularly since the start of round two where he's boasting averages of 11.5 points on a ridiculous 58.6 percent shooting from the floor and 63.2 percent shooting from deep in just 14.8 minutes a night.
Now knowing that Philadelphia, which initially said they believed to have sold high on his services, couldn't even get a, now, end-of-the-bench depth piece in Wiggins makes the pre-deadline deal look even more lopsided than it already did.
Several teams could dial up Thunder about Aaron Wiggins this summer
Over the last several days, a considerable amount of information has come out in regard to how opposing teams view the likes of Wiggins.
Days before Aaronson's report surfaced, ESPN's Tim MacMahon revealed that a Los Angeles staff member told him personally that if the wing were on the Lakers during their semifinal matchup against the Thunder, he would have come across at least 25 minutes per game.
The interesting part about the timing of these revelations is that Wiggins has fallen out of Oklahoma City's rotation during this year's playoff run, going from seeing a solid 21.8 minutes in the regular season to just 5.7 through these first two rounds of the postseason.
Of course, this is more so due to an embarrasment of riches being found around him on the roster than anything else.
Throughout his five seasons with the Thunder, Wiggins has established himself as a highly reliable offensive spark plug. Over the past two years, he's averaged 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on 46.4 percent shooting from the floor and 37.1 percent shooting from deep while predominantly coming off the bench.
Heading into an offseason where Sam Presti and company will actively be looking to cut down on their payroll in an effort to duck under the dreaded second apron, it's a forgone conclusion that several players on this current roster will likely be moved on from both for fiscal and future asset management reasons.
Considering this recent uptick in praise, it's fair to assume that there are several teams out there that could look to make the most of this by dialing up the Thunder to inquire about Wiggins' availability.
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