On Sunday afternoon, the Sacramento Kings agreed to deal second-year wing Nique Clifford to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for two second-round picks. Clifford held a fairly sizable role during his rookie season, when he averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals in 25.1 minutes per game.
But he’d fallen out of Sacramento’s rotation to begin 2026-27 and played just 50 minutes in eight games prior to the trade. With the Thunder ravaged by early season injuries, they opted
to tap into their surplus of picks and add a reinforcement to their wing room with the hopes he might break out in a more stable organization.
Oklahoma City, however, was not the lone playoff hopeful eyeing Clifford. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that a trio of other suitors, including the Los Angeles Lakers, gauged the market for him. Ultimately, though, the Thunder emerged victorious in the Nique Clifford Sweepstakes.
“The Pacers, Nuggets and Lakers, sources say, were among the teams that registered trade interest in the 24-year-old,“ according to The Stein Line Substack, “but Oklahoma City had multiple advantages when it came to getting a deal done.”
Among the “multiple advantages” referenced there is presumably Oklahoma City’s wealth of picks. Between 2027 and 2033, it owns 15 second-round picks, one of which is Los Angeles’ 2032 second-rounder. For comparison, the Lakers own just three over that same span.
Plus, the Lakers are also already fairly well-stocked with youthful wings worth taking a swing on this season. Adou Thiero (22 years old), Cameron Carr (22) and Ziaire Williams (25) are all 25 or younger and have garnered varying levels of rotation minutes to open the year. Given the Lakers’ depleted well of draft capital, it probably didn’t make much sense to fork over two of their remaining three second-round picks through 2033 for a dude who *might* crack the rotation on certain nights.
If they’re going to move some of those picks, it should be for someone they know can be a difference-maker and mainstay in the rotation. Clifford, while still pretty young and far from a finished product in the league, certainly does not fit that billing.
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
