3 Players not named Lauri Markkanen Thunder must trade for

Cam Johnson

Even with their signing of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, the Thunder could still use for some more boosts of talent within their frontcourt arsenal, particularly at the power forward position considering the fact that both he and Chet Holmgren are more comfortable playing center while the club's starting four, Jalen Williams, is a natural three.

With this, it makes perfect sense for why a guy like Markkanen would be viewed as an interesting trade target, though, for fewer assets in a hypothetical exchange, OKC could theoretically get a more ideal-fitting option at the position via a trade for Cameron Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets.

Measuring in at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, the former lottery pick sports an ideal build for a modern-day power forward while his floor spacing skills and sound defensive chops provide him with the intangibles to be a seamless plug-and-play contributor within virtually any team's lineup, but especially the Thunder.

Along with their lack of ideal candidates to slot in at the four, this past season the Thunder proved to be a rather under-the-radar poor long-range shooting team. Despite knocking down such shots at a league-leading 38.9 percent clip, they did so while hoisting up a middling 34.2 shots per game (a rank of just 16).

Their lack of snipers proved to be quite evident during their two-round postseason run, particularly during their second-round demise against the Dallas Mavericks where they converted on a putrid 33.5 percent of their shots, which ranked worst among all qualifying clubs.

Johnson is a proven marksman from beyond the arc who sports a 39.2 percent clip for his career and is coming off a 2023-24 campaign where he posted averages of 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 39.1 percent shooting from deep.

Adding the fifth-year veteran would not only provide the Thunder with a legitimate power forward option, but would also help add more long-range shooting expertise to their collection of ballers, and, considering he just turned 28, he could also become yet another young core piece for the team moving forward.