For years, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder They’ve been stockpiling their draft capital. The technique is sound, even whether it is mocked by others within the league. The extra draft picks they’ve, the richer they’re in foreign money. They function OKC’s bloodline for roster enchancment throughout this title window.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks ranked the 5 groups with the very best draft capital. Unsurprisingly, the Thunder had been featured. Huge trades with the Los Angeles Clippers And Houston Rockets helped them construct up their treasure. Different underhanded agreements with the Denver Nuggets And The Dallas Mavericks are the icing on the cake.
Different groups have began to emulate OKC’s technique. Draft choose packages have been within the headlines lately. Increasingly groups are keen to mortgage their long-term futures for the prospect to win a championship quickly.
Marks ranked the Thunder No. 2 within the league. Solely the San Antonio Spurs are forward. He defined that OKC’s first-round protections precipitated him to slip to second after he contemplated the choice.
“The place the Thunder have a bonus over different big-spending groups is the excess of 13 first-round picks (and low cost contracts) out there to retool their roster. A kind of first-round picks is unprotected in 2026 by the Clippers. The Thunder even have the fitting to commerce first-round picks to a Clippers staff with out Paul George in 2025 and 2027…
With six first-round picks acquired from different groups and two years of trades with the Clippers, the Thunder may choose within the lottery and in addition end every season with the most effective information within the NBA.
This risk already materialized final season. The Thunder had been the youngest seed in league historical past and struggled within the second spherical of the NBA playoffs. Regardless of this, they had been nonetheless within the lottery zone due to the Rockets. They acquired Nikola Theme with choice no. 12.
This might occur once more within the coming years. If that’s the case, OKC will discover itself in an unprecedented scenario of including lottery expertise whereas concurrently being a title contender. It is laborious to think about a greater scenario within the league proper now than the Thunder.
This text was initially revealed on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN ranks OKC Thunder No. 2 in NBA draft for future first-round belongings
