The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two second-round picks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.
The Thunder will receive second-round selections in 2030 (via the Timberwolves) and 2031, sources said.
It's a financially motivated move for the Thunder that addresses the Pistons' need to add perimeter shooting alongside superstar point guard Cade Cunningham.
Joe, who turns 27 next week, shot 41.5% from 3-point range in the past four seasons after the Thunder acquired him on a waiver claim from the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 9.7 points per game during his Oklahoma City tenure, primarily coming off the bench.
According to ESPN Research, Joe has the highest 3-point percentage among 56 players with at least 1,500 attempts over those four seasons. The Pistons made 11.0 3s per game last season, which ranked 28th in the NBA and last in the Eastern Conference.
Joe is coming off his most productive season, setting career highs in scoring (11.1 PPG) and 3-point percentage (42.3%). However, his role was reduced during the playoffs, when trade-deadline addition Jared McCain surpassed him in the Thunder's backcourt rotation.
Joe is due $11.3 million next season and has a team option for $11.3 million in 2027-28.
This is the second salary-shedding trade the Thunder have made this week involving a valued role player from Oklahoma City's 2024-25 championship team. Oklahoma City traded wing Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks, sources told Charania on Sunday.
Those deals trimmed Oklahoma City's projected salary for next season from $261 million to $234 million. Factoring in luxury tax, the trades will save the Thunder a total of $216 million, according to projections by ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, forecasting that Oklahoma City will exercise the team options for center Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and guard Luguentz Dort ($18.2 million) but not reserve forward Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million).
