The banged-up Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired more depth by trading two second-round picks to the Sacramento Kings for young wing Nique Clifford, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday.
Clifford, 24, was the No. 24 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Over 75 appearances last season as a rookie, the 6-foot-5 wing averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 25.1 minutes per game while shooting 41.8% from the field and 33.3% from deep. However, Clifford had fallen out of the rotation in Sacramento
this season, averaging just 6.3 minutes per game over eight appearances thus far.
Charania gave a brief justification for the trade for both sides on social media:
The injury-plagued Thunder receive a piece on the wings in Clifford — the No. 24 pick in the 2025 NBA draft whom the Kings originally acquired via trade with Oklahoma City, and now worked collaboratively to move elsewhere. Clifford was out of the rotation for the Kings, who pick up assets and clear a roster spot.
As alluded to, the Thunder have been dealing with the worst injury luck in the NBA to start the season. Among other nicks and bruises throughout the roster, star forward Jalen Williams and key starter Cason Wallace are both possibly out for the entire season with major injuries, while starting big man Chet Holmgren is out for the next 8-10 weeks due to a knee injury.
The trade for Clifford is especially noteworthy in Rip City right now because the Portland Trail Blazers face the Oklahoma City Thunder next. The Blazers host the Thunder in a back-to-back at the Moda Center on Tuesday and Wednesday.
