NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Acquire No. 7 Pick in 2023 Draft
The Pacers are currently the owners of the No. 7 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Indiana, who finished one spot out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, and have an exciting young lineup, headlined by Tyrese Haliburton who has All-NBA potential and Benedict Mauthurin who just finished an impressive rookie season. Buddy Hield and Myles Turner also fuel the starting lineup that showed flashes last season. The Pacers would benefit from a top-10 pick, especially in this year’s draft, but could also benefit from more draft capital down the road.
Trading five spots back to No. 12 wouldn’t be detrimental to the Pacers as they’d still be able to grab a talented young prospect to plug into their young core.
With the top four picks likely locked, the picks of No. 5-7 are intriguing and provide plenty of options for a team like Oklahoma City in players like Anthony Black, Gradey Dick or Taylor Hendricks.
The Thunder could be on the hunt for more front-court presence as the team has lacked length and paint efficiency the past couple of seasons.
Trading up opens the door for OKC to take a top tier prospect and ensure they grab the prospect they want instead of risking a player no longer being on the board at No. 12. Pick No. 7 gives OKC the opportunity to fill whichever void they seem fit.
The Thunder are ahead of the timeline in the rebuild and are on the cusp of earning a playoff bid. Another top young prospect could be what pushes OKC over the edge and into the playoffs. If OKC has fallen in love with one of the top prospects like Hendricks, trading up could be more valuable than holding onto the stock pile of draft picks.
Oklahoma City’s offer: No. 12 pick, 2024 Jazz first round pick, 2025 Sixers second round pick, Aaron Wiggins
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