The Oklahoma City Thunder's season has seemingly been derailed by injuries shortly after the team appeared to have a chance at another NBA title.
With a new starting five, OKC took down San Antonio and Denver by double digits before Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace went down with significant injuries that could sideline both players for the entire season.
Chet Holmgren will also miss multiple months with an injury while Alex Caruso suffered his own ailment. As a result, the Thunder's depth has been drained just six games into the season and the team has lost its last two games after a 4-0 start.
While there is likely nothing Oklahoma City could have done to maintain its chance at a title after losing three starters, trading three rotation players during the offseason certainly hasn't helped. The Thunder sent Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta while trading Isaiah Joe to Detroit.
Moving on from three rotation players, including a regular starter, subtracted from the Thunder's depth prior to the season, which now has more significant consequences than originally anticipated following the flurry of injuries.
Wiggins is likely the player who could have helped OKC the most this season. Through his first seven games with the Hawks, the former second-round pick is averaging 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a steal while shooting 49.4% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range on 6.6 attempts per game.
Wiggins best season in Oklahoma City came during the Thunder's title run in 2024-25, when the Maryland product averaged 12 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc.
While Wiggins is having success in Atlanta, there is still a solid chance that even the same contributions in OKC may not be enough to help Mark Daigneault's group overcome injuries to multiple key players.
Wiggins would certainly give the team another solid scoring option on the wing, but would likely provide more value to the Thunder's current roster if the team was healthy.
If OKC wasn't dealing with multiple injuries, though, there is a chance Wiggins would fall out of the team's rotation like he did in 2025-26.
Even with Williams and Ajay Mitchell sidelined during the 2026 playoffs, Wiggins played more than seven and a half minutes in just one game against the Lakers and Spurs.
In the end, Wiggins would likely be a contributor in the Thunder's current circumstances, but likely wouldn't make enough of a difference to change the team's outlook after major injuries.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/thunder/onsi as Should OKC Thunder Regret Trading Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta? .
