The Oklahoma City Thunder made their first move of the offseason on Monday when it was announced that they have traded away the No. 30 pick in the 2022 NBA draft and two future second-round picks to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round pick.
The Nuggets — who owned the 11th-highest team payroll this past season and the fourth-highest payroll entering next season — were able to shed $20 million off of luxury taxes by moving Green.
While the presumed headliner of the deal is Green, the real get in this trade for the Thunder is the 2027 first-round pick. While the protections right now are unknown, they really don’t matter because it can’t get any worse than picking 30th overall — which was the case with this year’s draft.
