After opting into his $16 million player option with the Minnesota Timberwolves, forward James Johnson has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the deal that sent Ricky Rubio to Minnesota on Wednesday, per The Athletic's Sham Charania.

Rubio was traded on draft night to the Timberwolves, the team where his career originated. He was packaged along with two picks in exchange for Minnesota's 17th pick. Johnson now joins the trade for monetary purposes to successfully complete the deal. Minnesota was likely to part ways with Johnson, seeing as how his salary was never on par with his actual performances.

For Oklahoma City, absorbing Johnson's $15 million was a minor toppling in their quest of obtaining a surplus of first-round draft picks, in which they've been successful so far. Going into Wednesday night, they'd obtained 17 first-round picks through 2026, all of which they'll end up not likely using in the future.

Minnesota has been on the move for obtaining win-now talent as described by multiple reports in efforts to keep both Karl-Anthony and D'Angelo Russell satisfied as their new duo. Both players have expressed a strong desire to contend immediately, and the Timberwolves front office has been diligent in those efforts to bring in reasonable, high-caliber players to support the two stars.

The Timberwolves still have a few more decisions to make with players such as Malik Beasley, who could bode well for their future endeavors in a championship run. By clearing Johnson off the books however, they've taken the first step to being able to successfully maneuver additional deals.