NBA Mock Trade: OKC Thunder Add Size on Draft Day via Toronto Raptors
In this story:
It’s easy to think the Oklahoma City Thunder might execute a trade or two on the night of the 2023 NBA Draft, especially if they are trading future first round picks to move up and grab the player of their choice. But what if they traded down to land a player selected in last year’s draft?
Historically, the team’s general manager, Sam Presti, has valued draft capital and controllable contracts (i.e. rookie contracts) above all else, except for when he’s trying to land a star. And while Presti might not be ready to add a player worthy of the “star” label at this juncture, he's likely still looking to improve the roster’s long-term outlook.
And there’s one player that the Thunder might be in position to land on the night of the draft: Toronto's Christian Koloko.
It’s no secret that the Thunder’s frontcourt hasn’t fared well in the NBA as of late due to having a lack of size, vertical spacing and rebounding to contend with opponents’ frontcourt talent. Even with the eventual return of Chet Holmgren, adding a more sizable big into the fold wouldn’t hurt.
That’s where Koloko comes in.
After being selected with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, the Cameroonian center averaged about three points, three rebounds and one block in just under 14 minutes per game while playing a very limited offensive role.
Don’t let the numbers fool you, though.
Standing 7-foot-1 with a near 7-foot-6 wingspan and weighing in at 230 pounds, Koloko brings great size and length to the center position. He’s also extremely light on his feet, whether he’s running the floor in transition, rolling to the rim or rotating over to protect the rim where he recorded a 6.9% block rate through 58 games.
Koloko also has the athleticism to get up and throw down lobs, put back offensive rebounds, while retaining the ability to finish over the top from a standstill in the post. That translates to the defensive end as well where his size and foot-speed as a rookie have seemed good enough to bother even perimeter players.
However, he isn’t a perfect center prospect. Koloko does need to work on both his rebounding and mainly figuring out how to improve his efficiency as a scorer after finishing his first season with a true shooting percentage below 52.
Overall, landing Koloko on draft night would likely represent an upgrade to the Thunder’s center rotation and Presti could do just that if he can get Toronto’s general manager, Masai Ujiri to agree to some kind of trade that involved swapping the two team’s first round picks.
The Thunder currently hold the No. 12 pick while the Raptors currently hold the No. 13 pick, so if Toronto is interested in moving up, Presti could probably easily ask for Ujiri to include Koloko, among other assets, in such a trade.
Proposed Trade
Thunder get: No. 13, Christian Koloko, rights to swap first-round picks in 2026
Raptors get: No. 12
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
