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Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder own 11 future first-round NBA draft picks, not including their own. The Thunder making all of those selections seems extremely unlikely, but said draft picks are prime trade assets as well.
We saw the Boston Celtics mentioned in trade talks for years before their haul from the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade to the Brooklyn Nets finally concluded. Expect similar conversations to be had with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the next half decade.
Some of the picks are likely to be late firsts, others are swaps that aren't projected to be used, but a select few could carry significant value. Here's how I would rank their top-5 most valuable trade assets, not including the Oklahoma City Thunder's own picks, which clearly would top this list.
Oklahoma City Thunder's best future NBA Draft pick options
#5 - Better of HOU/LAC 2025 1st
Obtained in the trade that sent franchise icon Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, this pick has enough flexibility and time before conveying that the Oklahoma City Thunder could end up lucky.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the right to the better of Houston's or the Clippers' first-rounder in 2025. If the Rockets' selection falls inside the top-10, then the Thunder are left with no choice but to take the Los Angeles' first.
Who knows what will happen within the next four years. As we have all seen in recent years, the NBA changes at a rapid pace. On their current trajectory, the Rockets should be play-in contenders come 2025 led by Jalen Green and other future lottery talents.
The Clippers, on the other hand, have both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on player options entering the 2024-25 season. If either or both decide to opt out, the Clippers could go into a rebuild heading into the same season that will affect the outcome of this draft pick.
Uncertainty is unavoidable when dealing with that far into the future, but that is part of the intrigue with this asset.
#4 - LAC 2022 1st
With Kawhi Leonard sidelined for most of next season after partially tearing his ACL in the playoffs, the Clippers could experience a down season. This is far from a guarantee with the likes of Paul George, Marcus Morris and now Eric Bledsoe still on the roster.
The Western Conference is as competitive as ever though, and the Clippers finished five games ahead of the 2020-21 play-in tournament. Paul George has a history of injury, and him going down at the wrong time could spell disaster for this team next year.
Unprotected is the key word with this pick. Imagine an outcome where the Clippers are defeated in the play-in tournament, leaving the Thunder holding their breath for a roughly one percent outcome of jumping into the top-4. Unlikely, but with no Kawhi for most of the season, it is within the realm of possibilities.
#3 - HOU 2026 1st
2026 was the furthest draft pick into the future that the Houston Rockets were able to include when acquiring Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be closely monitoring the situation in Houston, while the Rockets simultaneously hope to have progressed enough for this asset loss to not hurt significantly.
When Houston's general manager at the time, Daryl Morey, made this swap it was with the intention of surrounding James Harden with ideal talent. They were chasing a championship and willing to mortgage their future to do so, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
As mentioned before, the Rockets hope for notable improvement by 2026 on the shoulders of Jalen Green and their likely lottery selections in the years to come. Yet, there are rosters throughout the NBA that take longer to rebuild than expected and Houston may be one of them.
With the competitiveness of the Western Conference, I don't think many would be surprised to see the Houston Rockets still far from locked-in for the playoffs or even the play-in tournament by this point in time.
#2 - LAC 2026 1st
The Oklahoma City Thunder should be keeping close tabs on the happiness of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in Clippers' uniforms. As stated before, both of those stars have looming player options for the 2024-25 season.
Even if both decide to opt into those options, they will be entering restricted free agency the following offseason at ages 34 and 35. At that point in most players' careers, they are contributing a fraction of their prime production and it could make sense for Los Angeles to retool.
This brings another unprotected draft pick, which puts it in consideration for the top spot on this list. The Clippers do have the benefit of deep pockets and a large attractive market, so who knows, but I would imagine this draft asset is highly valued around the association.
#1 - HOU 2024 1st
This top-4 protected first-rounder in 2024 is the first draft asset on its way to the Oklahoma City Thunder as a result of the Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul swap.
Again, I'm sure the Rockets were not expecting to have to tear down their roster at the rate they did. They took a risk in an attempt to appease James Harden and it already seems to have been the wrong decision, but it's hard to fault Morey for trying.
Green, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and whatever draft picks are brought selected in the 2022 and 2023 drafts will make for a decent squad by the time this is conveyed.
The issue is that decent isn't enough to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, and without one of their picks becoming a superstar or making every right move on the margin, a play-in appearance within two years is a high expectation.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are used to stressful lottery nights, and 2024 could make for another one of those situations. The top-4 protection may make headlines leading up to the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, and if it falls within those protections, the pick then becomes a measly two second-rounders.
The Oklahoma City Thunder could elect to hold onto this draft pick if they believe Houston will still struggle to secure wins at that point or flip this valuable trade asset soon for optimal value and quicker return.
Guess the Lakers players!
