Thunder Have Flexibility to Move in 2022 NBA Draft

The Oklahoma City Thunder, with three first round selections in the 2022 NBA Draft and many more on the horizon, will have the flexibility to move most anywhere they choose.

Last season, the Thunder unofficially inquired with rivals teams about moving up from the sixth pick in the draft. And it makes sense given the team’s unprecedented amount of draft selections over the next half-decade.

General Manager Sam Presti is only going to be able to add drafted players to the roster in heaps for so long. Once more established players have cemented themselves on the roster, OKC won’t be able to leave the draft with four players.

So Oklahoma City likely reached out in order to package together selections and move up. Only the five teams above them didn’t budge.

It wasn’t a colossal failure, as OKC left with Australian guard Josh Giddey and kept its 18th overall pick to grab Tre Mann. But it wasn’t exactly a promising sign for a team with too many picks to count.

But the 2022 Draft will look much, much different.

The 2021 draft was lauded close to years in advance. With Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga heralded long before they were chosen by their respective teams. Teams likely got set on their guy, and pulled the trigger without giving another glance.

But the 2022 Draft is much less clear cut. Outside of a wobbly top three in Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr. and Paolo Banchero, the rest of the lottery and beyond is sure to be extremely dependent on fit and team needs. And that leave an opening for Presti.

Should GM’s be on the fence about their decisions, Presti will likely have the 12th overall pick, and will have the 30th overall pick as his disposal.

There’s sure to be more movement this year than last, and with Presti in control of the Oklahoma City draft Megazord, there’s sure to be fireworks on Draft night.

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