Opinion: Thunder Might Benefit by Trading Down on Draft Night
This morning it was reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder might be looking to move up in the 2023 NBA Draft. In order to do so, they would likely have to part with the 12th pick plus some mixture of young players and future draft capital.
But might it actually make more sense to trade down?
Picking higher is certainly always more advantageous, but sometimes it does make sense for a franchise to trade back a few spots especially if they are confident that the player they’re targeting will still be available. Doing so can help teams pick up players that otherwise might not be available or land them additional picks in the same draft or a future one.
And this particular class seems to be filled to the brim with all kinds of talent. From Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, the projected top two picks with franchise-altering potential, to Jaime Jacquez to Isaiah Wong, two upperclassmen who could step in and help a team right away, there’s no shortage of interesting prospects.
With that being said, the Thunder might find it beneficial to trade back from the 12th pick on draft night. Sure, maybe Keyonte George, Grady Dick, or Jordan Hawkins might be available, but are those the kind of players Oklahoma City really wants right now: offensively gifted but defensively questionable at the NBA level?
Whatever the case maybe, there are several other players who the front office might think will be available a bit later but could return top 12 or even top 10 value in time.
Dariq Whitehead, Noah Clowney, Jett Howard, Leonard Miller, and Dereck Lively are just some of the names that could very well still be available should the Thunder decide to trade back, let’s say, two, three, or four spots. While none of those guys are surefire locks to be good NBA players, all hold the potential to contribute to winning teams in time.
Historically, no one outside of the front office has been able to predict what exactly the Thunder will do, and this year is no different. But would it really surprise you if Sam Presti maximized his first-round pick this year and picked up not one, but two really interesting prospects to round out this rebuild?
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