{"id":116371,"date":"2025-01-06T15:53:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T20:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=116371"},"modified":"2025-01-06T15:53:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T20:53:23","slug":"isaiah-joe-may-be-playing-his-way-onto-the-nets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/06\/isaiah-joe-may-be-playing-his-way-onto-the-nets\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaiah Joe May Be Playing His Way Onto the Nets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> are thriving this season, standing as favorites to emerge from a competitive Western Conference. Their defense, ranks first<\/a> in the NBA, has been their backbone. However, their offensive inconsistencies remain glaring. Despite an eighth-ranked<\/a> offensive rating, the Thunder rank<\/a> in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage and only 14th in three-pointers made per game. Isaiah Joe<\/a> ending up on the Nets might be the logical solution to their ‘woes’.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Joe May Be Playing His Way Onto the Nets<\/h2>\n

Joe, once heralded as a reclamation project for the Thunder, reflects these struggles. Joe has seen an increased role this season, but his three-point shooting has dipped to 35.3%, the second-lowest of his career. His true shooting percentage of 53.9% is also a career low during his three seasons in Oklahoma City. Despite signing a four-year, $48 million<\/a> contract extension this summer, Joe is averaging just 8.2 points per game. The Thunder\u2019s postseason ambitions are clear, and Joe\u2019s struggles may prompt the team to look for roster upgrades before the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Cam Johnson: The Ideal Target<\/h3>\n

To address their offensive issues, the Thunder are rumored to be targeting Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson<\/a>. Johnson is an elite shooter, averaging 19.5 points per game this season while shooting 43.6% from three on 7.5 attempts per game. His ability to space the floor and score efficiently makes him a perfect fit for Oklahoma City\u2019s<\/a> system.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s $22.5 million<\/a> cap hit presents a challenge for the Thunder. To acquire him, the team must match salaries under NBA trade rules. Joe\u2019s $12.99 million<\/a> cap hit is the fourth largest<\/a> on the Thunder roster and could be included in a deal. Combining Joe\u2019s contract with that of Ousmane Dieng<\/a>, a young prospect, would help meet the financial threshold for a trade.<\/p>\n

Why Brooklyn Might Bite<\/h3>\n

The Nets are seeking<\/a> two first-round picks for Johnson, and the Thunder have the assets to meet that demand. Including Joe and Dieng in the package adds further appeal for Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Joe, despite his recent struggles, still provides valuable floor spacing. His contract is team-friendly, making him a low-risk addition for a Nets squad in rebuilding mode. Meanwhile, Dieng offers significant upside. The 21-year-old Frenchman, a lottery pick in 2022, has shown flashes of potential but has struggled to find consistent playing time in Oklahoma City\u2019s deep rotation.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn could offer Dieng the developmental opportunities he needs, mirroring the success stories of other young players thriving after leaving crowded rosters. The Nets\u2019 willingness to embrace a long-term rebuild makes Dieng an ideal fit for their plans.<\/p>\n

The Thunder\u2019s Perspective<\/h3>\n

For the Thunder, Johnson solves several problems. His 39.8% career three-point shooting, combined with his low usage rate (18.6%), makes him an ideal complement to Oklahoma City\u2019s ball-dominant stars. Johnson doesn\u2019t require heavy touches to be effective, and his ability to space the floor would open up the offense for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> and Jalen Williams<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joe, once a key part of Oklahoma City\u2019s rotation, may have to make way for a roster upgrade. With their sights set on a deep playoff run, the Thunder must prioritize immediate impact over long-term potential. Adding Johnson could be the final piece to solidify their championship aspirations.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Joe Could Very Soon Find Himself on the Nets<\/h3>\n

Joe\u2019s time in Oklahoma City has been valuable, but it could be nearing its end. The Thunder\u2019s need for shooting and Brooklyn\u2019s rebuilding timeline make a trade involving Joe, Dieng, and Johnson a win-win scenario. If the rumors are true, Joe might soon find himself playing a pivotal role for the Brooklyn Nets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder are thriving this season, standing as favorites to emerge from a competitive Western Conference. Their defense, ranks first in the NBA, has been their backbone. However, their offensive inconsistencies remain glaring. Despite an eighth-ranked offensive rating, the Thunder rank in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage and only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":116436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,6,22],"tags":[1781,5000,4609,4975,98,1382,563,4614,1489],"class_list":["post-116371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-nets","category-thunder","tag-cam-johnson","tag-isaiah-joe","tag-jalen-williams","tag-nba-contracts","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-trade","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-ousmane-dieng","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116371"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116437,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116371\/revisions\/116437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}