The Isaiah Joe deal is still drawing attention, and not in the way the Thunder would want.
Weeks after Oklahoma City sent Joe to Detroit, the move is still being picked apart, including by Zach Lowe on a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show. Lowe said the Pistons took advantage of Oklahoma City’s financial pressure and, in his words, "stole Isaiah Joe for nothing."
That’s the kind of blunt verdict that lands because the fit makes too much sense for Detroit. The Pistons just finished the 2025-26 campaign as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, then got knocked out in the second round by the Cavaliers. Their postseason problems showed up on offense, where they averaged just 107.4 points per game in the Semi-Finals and ranked in the 24 percentile in points per 100 possessions with Cade Cunningham off the court throughout the playoffs.
Joe, with his contract and his ability to come in and fire away as a scoring spark, looked like exactly the sort of player Detroit was missing around Cunningham. That’s why the return caught so many people off guard. Instead of a first-round pick, Oklahoma City got two future second-rounders.
The Thunder’s motivation was clear enough: they were trying to trim payroll and chip away at a second-apron bill that had gotten too heavy. But the move looks different when you zoom out and see where things stand now. Oklahoma City is still about $13 million over the $221.68 million threshold, and with Lu Dort’s option now picked up, the sense is the Thunder may be fine staying there.
That leaves the Joe deal looking like a tough one for OKC. They gave up their top catch-and-shoot scoring threat and one of their most trusted second-unit weapons from last season, and in Lowe’s view, they did it for a return that amounts to a sell-low move. He also said Joe gives Detroit another player who can take "bites at the shooter apple" next year.
In Other News...
Russell Westbrook Just Gave Thunder Fans Another Reason To Love OKC
Russell Westbrook keeps finding ways to stay tied to Oklahoma City, and his latest move gives Thunder fans another reason to smile. The former Thunder star is among the investors in OKC United, the new soccer club set to join the USL Championship in 2028, a project that is already trying to root itself in the citys identity rather than just its sports market.
Westbrook also had a hand in shaping the clubs crest, which leans into Oklahomas Native American heritage and local culture in a way that fits the downtown vision around the team. With a new soccer stadium planned for downtown Oklahoma City, OKC United is building toward a debut that feels like more than expansion news, and Westbrooks involvement only adds another layer to how the club wants to be introduced to the city. [Read more 🡒]
One Thunder Offseason Move Says Everything About OKCs Title Defense
Fresh off an NBA title and a run that came within reach of another Finals trip, the Thunder spent the offseason looking less like a team resting on its success and more like one trying to protect it. The front office kept the core intact where it mattered, bringing back Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort, while also adding new pieces through the draft and reshaping the edges of the roster with an eye on both competitiveness and cost.
The result has been a transformational summer that says plenty about where Oklahoma City believes it is right now. This is a champion trying to stay young, deep and flexible at the same time, even if that means parting with useful rotation help like Aaron Wiggins and Joe and making some uncomfortable choices around the margins. For a team with title defense on its mind, the bigger question is how far it can keep threading that needle without losing the feel that made the first run work. [Read more 🡒]