Feb. 5, 2026, 9:55 a.m. CT
Preparing for the home stretch, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned in all of their NBA trade deadline homework early. The reigning NBA champions may have the league’s best record, but that doesn’t mean there are zero ways to improve the roster.
The Thunder made a handful of moves. They added someone new to their roster. While their championship hopes will come down to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, they can always tweak the rest of the rotation to win on the margins.
Let’s look at the four trade deadline moves the Thunder made and grade them:
Jared McCain to Thunder: A
This should appease all of OKC’s biggest critics. An extra ball-handler has been a spot the Thunder have sorely missed this season. When Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell are off the floor, the halfcourt offense completely crumbles. In comes McCain. He’s been fizzled out of Philadelphia’s rotation. A torn meniscus and thumb have halted his hot start to his season.
But if you’re the Thunder, this is a great buy-low move. McCain was a borderline lottery pick just two years ago. He had one of the best starts to a rookie season ever as a 20-point scorer. The jumper is as pure as it gets. He fills a hole of being a complementary scorer who can play on and off the ball. The best part is, OKC has two-plus seasons of team control thanks to his rookie contract.
The Rockets’ first-round pick is likely to land in the bottom one-third. The second-round picks are whatever. If the Thunder can get McCain back to playing before his injuries, he’ll be an awesome addition. He’s a bit undersized and a question mark on defense, but OKC should be able to scheme around that. A great swing move with little downside.
Ousmane Dieng to Hornets: C
Thus comes the end of Dieng’s time in OKC. Added as a long-term project, he never really had an honest shot at sticking in the rotation in four seasons. The team got too good, too quickly. He was quickly buried on the depth chart. And when he did play, inconsistent play and injuries halted any momentum. Considering he was an expiring $6.7 million salary, the writing was on the wall all season that he’d eventually get dealt.
While the Thunder weren’t part of the deal, the Hornets swiftly moved Dieng to the Bulls in their package for Coby White. It’ll be fun to keep an eye on Chicago. Let’s see if the 22-year-old can impress in his two months there. He’ll be fighting for his next NBA contract.
Meanwhile, the Thunder made this move out of pure roster logistics. They needed to open up a 15-man spot for McCain. Dieng was the easiest casualty. A second-round pick is worth the price to pay for a salary dump. They waived Plumlee’s $3.6 million salary, which is half the price of what it would’ve been if it were Dieng instead.
OKC-Utah draft rights trade: C-minus
Really, a nothing burger here. The Thunder acquired Koprivica’s draft rights. He was taken with the No. 57 pick of the 2021 NBA draft. He played at a couple of Summer Leagues with the Detroit Pistons, but has never actually made his NBA debut. His draft rights have been tossed around a few times now. Before you even think about it, don’t expect OKC to bring him over.
This just feels like an asset collection move. NBA teams usually have a handful of draft rights to guys who will never make the jump. It’s just another thing to add to their collection in case they need to sweeten a deal. For every Vasilije Micic, dozens of others are content with their overseas career.