Thunder's luxury tax bill rises by $11.8 million

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Nique Clifford from the Sacramento Kings. The move increased the team's projected luxury tax bill by $11.8 million. Thunder's previous projection for that bill was $19.7 million.

The team quickly faced serious injuries. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace will be sidelined for months. The club then announced that center Chet Holmgren will be unable to play for 8 to 10 weeks. Thunder thus lost three key players in one week.

For Clifford, Thunder gave up the 2028 second-round pick from the Utah Jazz and the 2030 second-round pick coming via the Minnesota Timberwolves. With this move, the club added a young, inexpensive player in exchange for draft capital, as it did in February's Jared McCain trade. An Eastern Conference executive said Thunder has no reason to panic, as it still has enough draft capital remaining.

The Kings, meanwhile, started the season poorly with 1 win and 9 losses. Facing tax issues as well, Sacramento removed a recent draft pick from the trade to clear roster space.