The Nets appear to be in full-out teardown mode after executing their second trade in two weeks, and the OKC Thunder should be monitoring the club closer than ever as a result.
For months now, Oklahoma City has been linked as a prime destination for Brooklyn's sharpshooting power forward Cameron Johnson.
Considering their middling long-range offensive game as well as a dire need for extra firepower in the second unit scoring department, the 28-year-old is seen as an ideal target for the club and, with their slew of future draft capital and promising young prospects, they are considered to have the ability to piece together the most lucrative offer for his services.
However, with Brooklyn's recent activity on the trade market along with the wide-spread interest among rival teams in Johnson's services, should the Thunder truly wish to pursue a deal for the borough-based sniper they may wish to act sooner rather than later.
As for what kind of trade packages it could take to bring the sixth-year pro out to the Sooner State, there are three, in particular, that must be considered.
Possible Thunder trade packages to land Cameron Johnson
The steal of a deal
Thunder Get: Cameron Johnson
Nets Get: Kenrich Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Topic
If we learned anything from the recent Dorian Finney-Smith to Lakers trade, it's that the Brooklyn Nets may not be as hard-pressed to acquire first-round draft capital as they have been reported to be.
Despite an original asking price of the equivalent of two first-round picks for the veteran, GM Sean Marks ultimately found himself settling for a return package of D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round draft picks.
Of course, the younger and higher-upside talent that is Cameron Johnson is bound to receive a more lucrative offer than that from interested organizations, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will take a plethora of picks to get a deal done.
Sure, the Thunder have more draft assets over the next several years than they could ever realistically use on themselves, so coughing up a few lower-level firsts to adhere to Brooklyn's reported asking price would likely be no problem.
That said, as we saw with this past summer's trade that brought Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, Sam Presti is more than capable of negotiating his way out of a desired exchange of draft capital.
Perhaps the idea of adding two recent lottery-selected players still on their rookie-scale deals in Ousmane Dieng and Nikola Topic could be enough to entice the rebuilding Nets to accept.
The most realistic trade
Thunder Get: Cameron Johnson
Nets Get: Isaiah Joe (*can't be traded until January 15*), Ousmane Dieng, 2027 First-Round Pick (Via DEN), 2028 Second-Round Pick (Via MIL)
As noted, the Thunder have a treasure trove of draft assets at their disposal, so, to secure their chances of landing Cameron Johnson this trade season, it may be their safest option to cooperate with Brooklyn's desires to land such capital.
In this deal, we see Oklahoma City coughing up the rights to Denver's top-5 protected pick in 2027 (converts to top-5 protected in 2028 if not conveyed) as well as the rights to a future second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks.
On top of this, the Nets still find themselves bringing aboard a recently selected lottery talent in 21-year-old tweener forward Ousmane Dieng as well as the highly reliable two-way play of 25-year-old Isaiah Joe.
All things considered, the addition of two players aged 25 and under attached to team-friendly deals and future draft capital are what all rebuilding squads tend to covet as part of a healthy diet!
The nuclear option
Thunder Get: Cameron Johnson, Day'Ron Sharpe
Nets Get: Isaiah Joe, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Topic, 2026 First-Round Pick, 2029 First-Round Pick
This proposal is the way to not only guarantee that a Cameron Johnson trade goes through but also to strengthen Oklahoma City's roster in more ways than one.
The addition of Cameron Johnson alone would help bolster the club's talent pool and shore up some of their sore spots from a schematic standpoint.
A career 39.7 percent shooter from distance who's amid a 2024-25 season where he's averaging 19.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent shooting from deep, trading for the veteran forward would undoubtedly improve OKC's 22-ranked three-point shooting arsenal and their 21-ranked true shooting percentage.
However, on top of his arrival, this proposal would also bring fourth-year center Day'Ron Sharpe to the Thunder, which would directly address the team's need for more size and strength down in their frontcourt rotation.
Since coming into the league back in 2021 the 23-year-old has established himself as a big-bodied low-post presence (6-foot-9, 265-pounds) who can effectively snatch down boards, defend the rim, and score with ease in the interior.
For his career, per 100 possessions Sharpe sees himself averaging a whopping 22.1 points, 19.6 rebounds (8.9 on the offensive end), and 2.3 blocks on 55.0 percent shooting from the field.
While this proposal may see a large amount of valuable assets being shipped out, the exchange from an inbound talent perspective would help better round out the Thunder's rotation and could prove to be exactly what they need to get over the hump and claim the 2025 Larry O'Brien Trophy.