The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two second-round picks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday, continuing the defending champions' offseason effort to trim payroll after winning last year's NBA title.

The Thunder will receive second-round selections in 2030, via the Minnesota Timberwolves, and 2031, sources said, in exchange for one of the league's most reliable three-point specialists.

A financially driven move for the champions

For Oklahoma City, the trade is straightforwardly about money rather than basketball fit. It's a financially motivated move for the Thunder that addresses the Pistons' need to add perimeter shooting alongside superstar point guard Cade Cunningham.

The deal marks the second time in a week that Oklahoma City has shed a valued role player from its 2024-25 championship roster purely to manage its salary structure. Oklahoma City traded wing Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks, sources told Charania on Sunday, in a similar move that preceded Friday's trade.

Together, the two deals have meaningfully reshaped Oklahoma City's financial outlook heading into next season. Those deals trimmed Oklahoma City's projected salary for next season from $261 million to $234 million, and factoring in luxury tax, the trades will save the Thunder a total of $216 million, according to projections by ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks.

That savings estimate assumes Oklahoma City makes specific decisions on several other roster options in the coming days. Marks is forecasting that Oklahoma City........

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