Thunder reportedly trade for Kings’ Nique Clifford in wake of injuries

The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired second-year guard Nique Clifford from the Sacramento Kings for two second-round draft picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

The Thunder make the deal amid a spate of injuries that have created need up and down the roster.

Advertisement

They actually selected Clifford out of Colorado State with the No. 24 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. OKC traded him to Sacramento via a draft-day deal for a protected 2027 first-round pick.

Now Clifford is returning to a Thunder team with multiple injuries in the backcourt. Jalen Williams (fractured tibia/dislocated ankle) and Cason Wallace (labrum) are both out with long-term injuries that required surgery. Forward Chet Holmgren is also out for for eight to 10 weeks with a patellar tendon tear.

Clifford, 24, is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game as a rookie while shooting 41.8% from the field and 33.3% from 3. He’s played sparingly this season for a Kings team that’s started Zach LaVine and first-round rookie Darius Acuff Jr. in the back court.

In eight games, Clifford has averaged 1.6 points and one assist in 6.3 minutes per game.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/thunder-reportedly-trade-for-kings-nique-clifford-in-wake-of-injuries-185731868.html

Author : Jason Owens

Publish date : 2026-11-08 18:15:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.