In a shocking turn of events, the historically dormant OKC Thunder proved to be one of the more active teams at the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, striking on three separate trades prior to Thursday's 3 p.m. (ET) cut-off.
The first was their deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that nabbed them sophomore Jared McCain to help flesh out their guard rotation. The added depth should come in handy amid their recent injury woes.
The second was the salary-shedding and roster spot-opening trade that shipped Ousmane Dieng to the Charlotte Hornets... and then to the Chicago Bulls... and then to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lastly, the Thunder pulled off an under-the-radar deal with the Utah Jazz that actually gave them the rights to another big man talent, something they could certainly use more of, what with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein's checkered health.
The only problem -- he's an overseas, draft-and-stash prospect.
Thunder traded for Balsa Koprivica presumably for future maneuvering
In exchange for cash considerations, the Thunder acquired the draft rights of 7-foot-1 Serbian center Balsa Koprivica, who was drafted 57 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Considering the lack of name recognition, coupled with the fact that there are no indications that the 25-year-old has any plans to commit to playing in the NBA down the road, many have questioned Oklahoma City's reasoning behind such a move.
However, The Athletic's Fred Katz recently assessed that the trade has second apron strategy written all over it.
According to the senior writer, the decision to acquire Koprivica "could be a big deal" down the road, especially if he never makes the jump into the association, as OKC, even if they enter into the second apron over the next few seasons, could essentially use his draft rights as a pot sweetener for possible future trades.
Considering teams that exceed this dreaded tax threshold are not permitted to send cash in exchanges, using the rights of a player who's not in the league is considered "a touching point in any type of trade."
As Katz noted, the Thunder severely lack in such assets, so the addition of Koprivica only helps bolster their available pool in preparation for if/ when they cross into second apron territory.
With the new CBA in place, planning how to navigate certain financial restrictions in advance is more crucial than ever, especially for dynasty-aspiring teams like Oklahoma City.
Sam Presti and company have clearly shown an elite ability to maneuver around these recently implemented cap restraints so far. The addition of Koprivica could one day prove to be yet another example of this front office's genius.