Thunder trading for Nets sharpshooter far more plausible after putrid NBA Cup Final

If there's one takeaway that should be highlighted following Tuesday's NBA Cup Final, it's that the OKC Thunder desperately need to add reinforcements to strengthen their three-point shooting game.

During their 97-81 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City went 5-for-32 from beyond the arc, giving them a success rate of just 15.6 percent on the night.

While this alone should raise some eyebrows, what makes this all the more daunting is that their lackluster production from beyond the arc has been an issue all season long.

After finishing last year's campaign off as the top-rated three-point shooting team in the league, the Thunder have fallen to just 19 in 2024-25 despite upping their attempts by over five per game.

As currently constructed, it seems that OKC lacks the talent necessary to pull itself out of this clear long-range rut. However, there's one frequently discussed trade target who, if ever acquired, could single-handedly help address the ball club's shooting struggles.

Cameron Johnson must be on Thunder radar after brutal loss to Bucks

Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson has been someone many have pegged as an ideal player the Thunder should look into pursuing a trade for between now and February's deadline.

From the fact that he plays a position Mark Daigneault's rotation severely lacks in at power forward to his extensive playoff experience (served as a key contributor during the Phoenix Suns' NBA Finals run in 2022), there are plenty of reasons why the 28-year-old would make a great addition to this title-hungry OKC team.

However, easily the biggest draw for such an acquisition would be adding his elite shooting abilities which, following their latest primetime embarrassment against Milwaukee, should be more enticing than ever.

Boasting a 39.7 percent shooting clip from distance for his career, through 25 games played this season Johnson has found himself bumping this number up to a new best 43.3 percent while splashing home 46.3 percent of his corner triples and averaging 18.6 points.

On top of this, he's shooting 42.5 percent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers while boasting a 63.2 effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoots as a whole, strengthening the notion that he's an elite off-ball threat which, considering the Thunder love to dish the rock on drives (seventh-highest passing rate when heading to the rim), could prove to be a truly lethal attribute for the team to attain.

Heck, it could have been a godsend and, quite possibly, a game-changer for them against Milwaukee in Tuesday's NBA Cup title-game.

Now, the problem with Johnson's distinguished shooting skills is that he's likely viewed as someone who would be a seamless fit on just about any team, which means that the competition among teams to try and trade for him is likely to be rather intense.

Fortunately, should the Thunder find themselves in any sort of bidding war, it's not an over-exaggeration to say that they could easily offer the most enticing package to the rebuilding nets thanks to their treasure trove of future draft capital and collection of both promising prospects and salary-matching contracts.

Following their embarrassing performance against the Bucks, Sam Presti and company should now be strongly considering the idea of constructing a "too good to turn down" package to land the coveted sharpshooter and, in turn, put an end to the disastrous shooting woes that have consistently plagued this championship-hopeful this year.