NBA Draft Tracker: Thunder Reports and Rumors
June 22: Vasilije Micic Has Value Around League
Oklahoma City owns the draft rights to Serbian guard Vasilije Micic. At 28 years old, he's experienced and ready to make an impact at the NBA level as one of the top international players out there. According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, there's at least three teams with interest in Micic.
"Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic remains a hot name on the trade market," said Fischer. "OKC holds his draft rights, and Nikola Jokic has been said to be a driving factor in Denver’s interest to obtain the EuroLeague MVP. San Antonio, Milwaukee and Chicago have also been mentioned as legitimate suitors."
June 20: Paolo Banchero is in Play at No. 2
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor mentioned that the Thunder could realistically take Paolo Banchero with the second overall pick.
"I had a source tell me yesterday that OKC is definitely a contender to take Banchero at 2," said O'Connor in a Spotify Live session. "But how much is that OKC putting it out there knowing Houston's desire to take him?"
June 16: Chet Holmgren Prefers to be in OKC
James Snook / USA TODAY Sports
With the second overall pick, there's a good chance Oklahoma City will take Chet Holmgren if he's still available. On Thursday, it became clear that he has mutual interest in joining the Thunder.
In Ryen Russillo mentioned on his podcast that he’s heard Holmgren and his camp prefer Oklahoma City as their destination.
“Well, there’s also something that backs it up to his agent Bill Duffy — very powerful agent, doing this a long time — I’ve been told this is where Duffy and Chet want to go.” Russillo said. “They want to go to Oklahoma City because you just mentioned that the players that they’ve been playing in the frontcourt and you start thinking about that second contract and the opportunities and he has way more freedom because of the roster in front of him than maybe he would in Orlando… That’s the preference that I’ve heard and it makes a lot of sense from a basketball standpoint.”
From there, Matt Babcock of Basketball News doubled down, saying he's heard the same.
“I also heard Chet Holmgren has not provided his medical information to teams (at least most of them), and did not do the NBA's heart screening.” Babcock wrote. “That could suggest that his agents are trying to manipulate the draft and direct him to a specific spot.”
June 16: Portland Looking to Trade for Lu Dort
Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports
With the Thunder looking to move up from No. 12 in the draft, there's no question they'll have to part ways with a solid asset. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, that asset could be Lu Dort. He reported that there has been increasing talk about Portland potentially targeting the seventh selection to Oklahoma City for No. 12 and a package that could include Lu Dort.
According to Fischer, the trade talks are coming more heavily from Portland's side. The Blazers have extreme pressure to improve the roster to win now with Damian Lillard.
“When I called someone from OKC this morning, they were keen on suggesting if I decided to write on this Lu Dort rumor, I should be keen to include that Portland is driving the trade talk more than OKC," said Fischer.
June 15: Thunder Aggressively Looking to Move Up From No. 12
BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK
Jonathan Givony of ESPN continues to provide intel that the Thunder are looking to move up. Not only do they have interest in moving up for Shaedon Sharpe, but they're also looking into ways to move up to No. 4 and take Jaden Ivey.
“Thunder are said to be aggressively pursuing trade conversations for [No. 12], seeking to package it with future assets or existing OKC players in order to move into the mid-lottery, with players including Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe among the potential prospects they covet," said Givony.
June 13: Thunder Make First Offseason Trade
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
To kick off the NBA's offseason, the Thunder made the first move. As first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Denver traded veteran forward JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round pick to Oklahoma City for the No. 30 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft two future second rounders.
Instead of having four picks in this month's draft, the Thunder will now just have three. They'll select at No. 2, No. 12 and No. 34 overall. The Nuggets will now select at No. 21 and No. 30 overall if they stay put.
June 11: Sharpe Joining Thunder A Real Possibility
Matt Stone / Courier Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK
Shaedon Sharpe is one of the most unknown players in this class, but has a ton of raw upside. It's unclear exactly where he will land in this draft, but Oklahoma City is a real possibility.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported on Saturday that there's mutual interest between the Thunder and Sharpe's camp.
"Sharpe is conducting competitive 3-on-3 workouts for most, but not all of the teams picking in the top 10, with his floor likely being this spot for the Thunder, who will be getting a visit and have studied him more closely than any team in the NBA," said Givony. "Not every team picking in the 5-10 range has a great handle on what Sharpe's game is."
On the flip side, it sounds like Sharpe likes the idea of playing with the Thunder next season.
"Sharpe's camp also doesn't sound overly concerned with where he's picked, preferring to take a long-term view in steering him to an advantageous development situation in which he can maximize his significant potential and become an All-Star, with the Thunder being at the top of their list," Givony said.
June 9: Jabari Smith Only Working Out for Two Teams
The consensus top pick in the upcoming class is Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., who recently said in an interview with the Orlando Magic that he was only going to be working out with two teams. Outside of Orlando, the only other team he plans on meeting with leading up to the draft is the Oklahoma City Thunder. As such, only the teams with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks will get a chance to work him out.
June 7: Thunder Viewed as Natural Trade Partner
Oklahoma City has a real roster crunch with four selections in this month’s draft and 15 players already under contract for next season. As such, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports recently reported that teams around the league view the Thunder as a natural trade partner.
Talking to teams about the NBA Draft, the team that keeps coming up as a natural trade partner for everyone is Oklahoma City,” said Smith. “But not for #2. That seems to be off the table for now. Most are looking at #12, #30 or #34. As one put it: "They don't have roster spots for four guys."
June 6: Trading Up From 12
Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports
With just over two weeks until the draft, there’s speculation that Oklahoma City could be wanting to move up from No. 12 overall, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo. If there’s a guy Presti loves, he’s got the ammo to go get him.
“There’s some thought around the league that the Thunder may try and combine this selection with some of their other draft picks in order to try and move up to get a second top 10 selection,” said Woo.
May 30: Holmgren or Ivey?
Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK
With just over three weeks until the draft, more reports of Oklahoma City’s love for Ivey surface. While that continues to become a theme, it’s harder for some to believe that they’d actually take him over Holmgren with the second pick.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman shed light on the topic. “We've heard to keep an ear out for OKC's potential interest in Ivey at No. 2.,” said Wasserman. “While Holmgren has been perceived as a top-three pick all season, some scouts prefer Ivey. His fit isn't ideal for a roster that already has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, but a team who sees Ivey as a surefire star won't pass on him due to fit questions. Of course, there is a difference between OKC being high on Ivey and actually making the pick with Holmgren and Banchero on the board.”
May 30: Jabari Smith Likely Off Board for Thunder
Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK
As much as the Thunder might like Jabari Smith Jr., more signs continue to point to him being taken No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic. As such, he might be off the board for the Thunder on the night off the draft with the second pick.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report continues to get intel suggesting this is the case. “Assumptions by scouts and executives all lean toward the Orlando Magic taking Smith,” said Wasserman. “Shooting and defense give him an edge over Banchero, and there is some fear from teams when it comes to the 195-pound Holmgren, who's also a year older than Smith. Scouts also expect Smith to help close the deal with the Magic during interviews and his likely visit to Orlando. After making 79 threes (42.0 percent) and 42 pull-ups (40.0 percent), per Synergy Sports, he has a case as the best shooting freshman big to ever enter a draft. And that's an obvious draw to a Magic team that finished No. 28 in three-point percentage.
May 24: Chet Holmgren Expected to Land with Thunder?
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
At this point in the pre-draft process, it appears the most likely prospect to be taken at No. 2 by Oklahoma City is Chet Holmgren. Additionally, teams around the league are starting to believe that more. Even Holmgren is reported to like the idea of landing with the Thunder in the upcoming draft, says Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
“Most NBA teams firmly believe that's a formality and that Smith is all but assured to become the top pick. Smith, for his part, appears thrilled with that development," Givony said. "So is Holmgren over his looming marriage with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is also the overwhelming expectation from NBA executives with whom we spoke at the draft combine."
May 23: Caleb Houston Received Draft Promise from Thunder?
Every season, there's a couple of players that likely could go back to school for another year and be taken higher in the following draft. That's the case for Caleb Houstan, who entered his freshman season as a potential lottery pick but had an underwhelming college season at Michigan.
Regardless, he entered the draft and appears to be here to stay. The Athletic's John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie noted this week that Houstan could have a draft promise from the Thunder, which is the reason he's staying in the draft instead of going back to college for another year.
"Oklahoma City’s pick at No. 30 was the topic of other speculation. Michigan forward Caleb Houstan was notably absent from the week’s proceedings, with many league insiders suspecting he had a promise from a team in return for shutting down his draft process," said The Athletic. "Suspicion immediately went to the Thunder, given their surplus of picks and long history of making their draft pick in April."
May 23: Oklahoma City is a Candidate to Move up in Draft
Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY Sports
Even outside of their No. 2 pick, the Thunder have three additional selections in the top 34 of June's draft. As such, they're a prime player for consolidating these assets and moving up for a prospect they love. John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic noted Oklahoma City as one of the several clubs to keep an eye on.
“Other teams with multiple picks are expected to try to move up in the draft, which could make trading down profitable for those picking in the late lottery and teens," The Athletic said. "Oklahoma City, for instance, has picks at No. 12 and No. 30 and a surfeit of future picks to sweeten a deal; using those to move up and nab a targeted player seems like a no-brainer. Other multi-first-rounder teams to watch include San Antonio (Nos. 9, 20 and 25), Charlotte (Nos. 13 and 15) and Memphis (Nos. 22 and 29). San Antonio, in particular, had a sea of staff at the combine intently watching the proceedings.”
May 23: Orlando Magic Leaning Chet Holmgren at No. 1?
Kyle Terada / USA Today
While no team has solidified their board at this point in the pre-draft process, Jabari Smith has seemed to be the consensus No. 1 pick by many. However, John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported the Magic could be leaning towards Chet Holmgren. Is this a play for leverage, or is Holmgren really being considered at the top spot for Orlando?
“Orlando winning the lottery could throw a monkey wrench on draft night. While most draft analysts have Jabari Smith Jr. rated as the top prospect, John Hollinger Spies think the Magic are leaning toward selecting Chet Holmgren," said The Athletic. "Of course, that would play to their type. This front office’s track record reveals an obsession with length, so one can easily connect the dots there. On the other hand, some league insiders immediately second-guessed that first instinct. Are the Magic just playing on their length-based reputation to bait Oklahoma City into trading up from No. 2? Let the game of smoke signals begin.”
May 22: Another Link Between Jaden Ivey and OKC
Bill Streicher / USA TODAY Sports
On a podcast with The Uncontested, Derek Murray of Babcock Hoops mentioned that many around the league truly think Ivey is in the top tier of this class and the Thunder have interest.
“There is a case for a four man race," Murray said. "There is not a big three, there is a big four. It’s Jaden Ivey. There have been links to the Thunder and Ivey, trading up, trading down and picking at two. From what I’ve been told, those are real and significant. The smoke is real.”
May 20: Thunder Have Interest in Jaden Ivey
Jeff Hanisch / USA Today
Although Oklahoma City has the No. 2 pick in what's considered a three player draft at the top, Jaden Ivey is a name the Thunder have been connected to. According to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports, there's four prospects in the top tier of this class, adding Ivey to the mix with Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero.
“There are essentially four players in play for the Thunder's second pick: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey," said Peek. "Smith and Holmgren are favorites to go on and two, but there have been rumblings this week at the draft combine in Chicago that the Thunder really like Ivey and he could be Ja Morant 2.0.”
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