This Nets-Thunder trade would fix one of OKC's biggest weaknesses instantly

The Oklahoma City Thunder are first place in a loaded Western Conference, 15-4. That is despite the recent hip injury suffered by Chet Holmgren, whose absence has felt like a mere blip on the radar. That speaks to the depth of talent on the OKC roster, not to mention the effortless incorporation of new arrival Isaiah Hartenstein into the frontcourt rotation.

Holes are few and far between on the OKC roster, but every team has a fatal flaw. For the Thunder, it's their lack of established volume shooters. Holmgren is quietly one of OKC's best 3-point snipers, while Isaiah Joe is the only member of the Thunder supporting cast who is consistently ripping 3s off the catch.

Pretty much everybody on OKC can shoot, but this is a team built around slashers. The Thunder would benefit immensely from a sharpshooting wing who doesn't tank their unique dribble-pass-shoot equity across the board.

Look no further than the Brooklyn Nets, who are setting up shop ahead of the trade deadline. Everybody on Brooklyn's roster is available for the right price and few NBA players stand out as a more appropriate OKC trade target than Cam Johnson. The 28-year-old is averaging 17.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on .488/.423/.898 splits for the plucky, unexpectedly competitive Nets.

Here's what a trade would look like.

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This Thunder-Nets trade would plug Cam Johnson into unbeatable OKC starting five

This is probably a slight overpay from OKC, but the Thunder can afford it with their overabundance of first-round picks. OKC quite literally does not have the roster space to use all of its first-round picks over the next five years. As such, burning a couple on such a meaningful ceiling-raiser makes sense. The Philadelphia 76ers' first-round pick is top-six protected this season, so the Thunder aren't giving up a chance at Cooper Flagg.

Brooklyn gets a couple valuable first-round picks and a couple future rotation cogs in Lu Dort and Ousmane Dieng.

Dieng was a lottery pick in 2022 and, at 21 years old, still carries robust upside. He isn't getting minutes for a deep Thunder team, but the Nets have nothing better to do. Letting Dieng work through his lumps in a stable role could pay dividends down the road.

We know what to expect from Lu Dort at this point. He's an okay-ish shooter with a tendency to run hot and cold. His primary value is rooted in defense. Dort brings an insatiable fire on the defensive end, an energy that is sure to earn appreciation around the Nets organization during a period of rebuilding. Moreover, Dort should maintain trade value in Brooklyn, which means the Nets can flip him to a contender for more draft capital in the future.

OKC launches into the stratosphere with Johnson, who is under contract through 2027 at an extremely reasonable number. He boosts their catch-and-shoot numbers immediately, while also offering plenty of straight-line driving and off-ball finishes around the basket. He won't replicate Dort's on-ball ferociousness defensively, but Johnson is a sharp team defender at 6-foot-8 who can handle a nice range of assignments.

The Thunder would maintain the league's best defense while significantly upgrading their offense (already ranked 11th). Once Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and others get healthy, the Thunder would profile as clear frontrunners in the West — and maybe the entire NBA, with all due respect to the reigning champs in Boston.