Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 12:00am

THUNDER LAND THOMAS, PICKS

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired forward Etan Thomas, a 2010 second-round pick and a 2010 conditional second-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves for guards Chucky Atkins and Damien Wilkins.

What does it give the Oklahoma City Thunder
In Thomas the Thunder add a veteran low-power pounder who can add some veteran toughness to a mostly young and improving team. That said, his contract is expiring and he hasn't been very productive in recent seasons, so this deal looks more about the draft picks for Oklahoma City.

What does it give the Minnesota Timberwolves
While the T-Wolves have two very talented young point guard prospects in Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, both will benefit from having veteran playmaker Atkins around (unless Rubio stays in Europe for the coming season). Meanwhile Wilkins is an underrated swingman who may be able to compete for the team's shooting guard spot. Both players have expriring deals, which lessens the risk for Minny.

Fantasy impact