Report: NBA Executives Expect OKC Thunder to be Involved in Trade Discussions on Draft Night
Oklahoma City has the No. 12 pick in the upcoming NBA draft as things sit on Wednesday, however, that could change on draft night. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony released a new mock draft on Wednesday morning, and reported in his OKC selection that the Thunder could be looking to trade up.
“Most NBA executives expect the Thunder to be active in trade discussions looking to potentially package this pick and future first-rounders in an attempt to move up on draft night, which makes sense considering the shortage of roster spots the Thunder could be working with moving forward with all the talent they’ve accumulated,” Giovany wrote.
A trade would come via the stockpile OKC has built over the next decade of picks, and would also give OKC a chance to add a more dynamic rookie who can have an immediate impact. The Thunder already have a roster stuffed full of talent and are on the verge of possibly adding three more players into the mix. A trade would make sense for the team as it will help with roster crunch in future seasons while helping the team win now.
OKC has the chance to have at least three first round picks in the three drafts following this season, including a chance at four in 2024. Overall in the next eight drafts the Thunder own 33 total picks.
This year’s draft is heavy at the top with talented players that would both fill needs in Oklahoma City and would fit the style of play the Thunder play with. The Thunder got a taste of success last season coming up just shy of making it out of the play-in tournament, and now look to continue to build onto that, another top-10 pick would help with that goal.
As it sits now the Thunder hold the No. 12 pick, but with each report the chances of that changing increases.
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