Oklahoma City further reduced its potential luxury tax bill for next season by agreeing to trade elite 3-point shooter Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two second-round draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is still pending the required approvals from the league office.
Joe made 681 3-pointers over the last four regular seasons with the Thunder. He is one of 17 players in the league with that many 3s in that span — and none of the other 16 names on that list shot better from beyond the arc than Joe, who connected on 41.5% of his tries in those four years.
And Joe did all that for the Thunder while playing almost exclusively off the bench and averaging just 20 minutes per game. He is owed $11.3 million for the coming season, with an $11.3 million option for 2027-28 as well.
Oklahoma City has shed well over $100 million from its potential luxury tax bill for next season in recent days, first by agreeing to trade Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta and now with this move.
Detroit won 60 games this past season to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, doing so while relying on the 3-point shot less than almost every other club. The Pistons ranked 28th in the 30-team league in 3-pointers made and 29th in 3-pointers attempted.
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