Trades are expected to be a big part of the 2022 NBA Draft. Several teams are looking to acquire established talent to make a push for the postseason, while others are looking to acquire that foundational piece to build their future on.
Well, we have our first deal of the draft despite being a little more than a week away from it taking place. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets completed a deal that will send JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round pick to Oklahoma City.
In exchange, the Nuggets will receive the No. 30 overall pick and two future second-round selections.
Oklahoma City parting with three selections is a bit surprising, but they add another future first-round pick to their already overflowing treasure trove of assets.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Denver Nuggets Planning Massive Moves Around Nikola Jokic
As a result of this trade, the Nuggets now have two first-round picks, No. 21 and 30. The Thunder will be on the clock with picks No. 2, 12, and 34.
This trade opens up some flexibility for Denver this offseason. Once he opts into his contract for the 2022-23 season, Green’s $8.2 million will be absorbed into the cap space that the Oklahoma City Thunder have. Oklahoma City has plenty of it, as they possess $31 million in cap space to use this league year.
The Nuggets will now have the ability to sign a player using the $6.4 million tax mid-level exception in free agency. They will also have an $8.2 million trade exception that they can acquire someone into via trade.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Denver Nuggets Planning Massive Moves Around Nikola Jokic
It has been reported that Denver is looking to swing a big trade to continue building a contender around Nikola Jokic this offseason and this trade will help them accomplish that. They now have another sweetener that they can add to the deal in the form of the No. 30 overall pick.
