Wheeling and dealing, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a couple of moves before Thursday’s 2026 NBA trade deadline.
The first was to acquire Jared McCain for a package of low-end draft picks. The 21-year-old is a buy-low candidate who has fallen out of favor with the Philadelphia 76ers. After a hot start to his career, injuries have slowed down his momentum.
To make space for McCain on OKC’s 15-player roster, the Thunder reportedly dealt Ousmane Dieng to the Charlotte Hornets. The details of the deal are unknown, but don’t expect much out of what is basically a salary dump. He was on an expiring $6.7 million salary.
But the Hornets only served as a middleman. He was rerouted to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that landed Charlotte Coby White and Mike Conley. Along with Dieng, they sent out Collin Sexton and three second-round picks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Dieng will get two months to audition for the Bulls to get a new contract. The 22-year-old has shown flashes over the year as a ball-handling forward, but he was quickly buried in OKC’s rotation due to development and injuries.
A sad end for Dieng’s time in OKC. They added him in the 2022 NBA draft with the No. 11 pick. The Thunder had hoped the long-term project would develop into a rotation piece. But that just never materialized. Let’s see if he can stick around in the NBA this upcoming offseason.
