Thunder want a first-rounder to trade Vasilije Micic’s rights?

The price requested by the Oklahoma City Thunder for Vasilije Micic could have been too high.

Micic dominated the last two EuroLeague leading Efes to the back-to-back titles. The Serbian PG will remain with Efes in 2022-2023 as well.

Per Heavy, Any team looking to acquire Micic would have to give Oklahoma City some draft compensation—preferably a first-rounder, though it’s possible the price could have been brought down. “I think that was where it was a little too much for teams,” one Western Conference executive said. “No one wanted to give up a pick plus everything else it would take. The guy can play, I think he’d be good in the NBA. But no one wanted to give up picks and money for him.”

First, there was Micic himself. To ditch Efes and head to the NBA, Micic wanted a few things—a salary in the $6-7 million per year range, a starting spot (or, at least, starter-type minutes), and a role with a contending team . That eliminated a chunk of NBA interest off the bat.