Apr 17, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwauee Bucks guard Monta Ellis (11) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

When looking back and evaluating the James Harden trade, one of the disappointing things is that we haven’t seen yet what Jeremy Lamb can do on the NBA court.

Lamb killed it in the D-League this season but got very few opportunities with the Thunder.

One of the reasons the Harden trade made at least a little bit of sense at the time was that Lamb, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, looked like he could possibly emerge into a star one day.

Obviously, it’s early but it’s still worrisome that Lamb didn’t get a chance at all in his rookie season.

There has been some talk that Lamb wasn’t able to give the same intensity during practices that has become commonplace with the Thunder organization. We also know that Scott Brooks will not play you if you are unproven on the defensive end and not totally committed to contribute on that end of the floor.

Will the Thunder think about trading Lamb on the day of the NBA Draft before even giving him a shot in the NBA?

We have to think this is a possibility. The Thunder will have the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft. I’ve been saying all along that if they see someone they like in the draft, they have the tools to move up and go after him. One of the tools is Lamb and the idea of trading him.

A player like Victor Oladipo is an intriguing one. He looks like a player who can come in and play right away. We know he is an elite athlete that should be able to become a very solid defender quickly in the NBA, meaning he could see more early playing time than most of the recent Thunder rookies.

Right now, there are some mocks out there that have Oladipo going around pick number five which would be tough for the Thunder to move up that high. But if Oladipo is still around a few picks later, don’t be surprised if the Thunder think about moving up to get him.

We saw how much Reggie Jackson improved from his rookie season and how he broke out in the playoffs this year. Should we expect Lamb to make the same jump?

Lamb isn’t Jackson and it’s still pretty unknown if he has shown the same signs Jackson did this season with the Thunder.

If he hasn’t, then don’t be surprised if the Thunder decide to cut ties with Lamb on the day of the draft.

We should start to hear a little bit more about who the Thunder are interested in drafting in the coming weeks. That will tell us a lot more about the potential trading of Lamb.

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) puts up a shot against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the NIT Tournament Semi-Final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In case you missed last night’s draft lottery, the Raptors failed to gain a top three pick, meaning the Thunder gained the rights to the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

In so, it’s time to make some phone calls, do some scouting, and watch film of possible draft picks for Sam Presti.

In terms of who the Thunder are looking for, it’s pretty evident what the Thunder are missing. An inside scoring presence. Yes, Serge Ibaka continues to improve. Yes, Kendrick Perkins does a great job defending the post and being a leader.  No, the Thunder do not get enough production in the paint.

So, who will do that job for the Thunder? Let’s take a look at possible candidates for who Sam Presti will call on June 27^th to become the newest member to play for the blue and orange.

1. Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

Dieng is 23-years-old who had a few years of experience, and was a big part of the championship run for Louisville. Despite him only averaging 9.8 points a game, he grabbed 9.4 rebounds a game. Ibaka and Perkins had trouble finishing all year, and Dieng shot about 72% at the rim this season according to hoop-math.com, which is huge for the Thunder. If Dieng is the guy where Durant or Westbrook can get in the lane and drop it off to him, I’ll be happy to see the Louisville big man in a Thunder uniform.

2. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

Olynyk is a solid seven footer with a versatile game. Many scouts say he has the ball handling ability of a SF, and can shoot the ball very well. He averaged 18 points a game this year, to go along with shooting 63.1% from the field.

3. Alex Len, Maryland 

Len is also seven foot and weighs 225 pounds. Len had surgery to stabilize stress fracture in his ankle, and many question his ability to stay healthy. Len only averaged 11 points a game, but can really play around the rim.

4. Rudy Gobert, France

Don’t be surprised to see his named get called with the 12^th pick. At the combine, he reached a 7’8.5” wingspan and a 9’7” standing reach, which is incredible. There are question marks with him being 231 pounds. According to Draft Express, “He shot almost 80% from the field in Pro A, while showing impressive potential as a rebounder and shot blocker. The progress he’s made since last season is extremely promising, and he’s maturing at a terrific rate.” To me, this seems like a high risk, high reward type of situation.

5. Guards like Dennis Schroeder (Germany), CJ McCollum (Lehigh), and Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse)

In 2011, the same scenario happened. We all thought Sam Presti would get a big man to complement Ibaka and Perkins, and Presti decided to go with Reggie Jackson (great idea). You never know what Presti has up his sleeve. The more reasonable pick if the Thunder were to get a guard, would be CJ McCollum. He went down with a season-ending injury early this year, but says he’s 100% healthy. McCollum averaged 23 points a game last year, and even though he played at Lehigh, he put up 26 points in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament against Kansas.

www.court-side.com

The Oklahoma City Thunder came away with the 12th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft from the lottery last night.

It hasn’t taken long for the millions of mock drafts to come out now with the draft order set.

The Thunder are a team that may look to be on the move according to some experts.

There is increasing chatter among NBA executives that the Thunder — who have two first-round picks and young talent in Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones — will look to make a major move on draft night. If they keep this pick, Saric, a smooth, mobile big man one executive describes as “the best passing big man in the draft,” is a nice find. Saric isn’t the bruising post-up scorer Oklahoma City craves, but he is exactly the kind of high-potential talent GM Sam Presti loves to develop.

Via Chris Mannix/SI.com

It’s no surprise that the Thunder will be looking to do more than just draft a player with this pick. I’ve been saying for awhile now that soon we will hear that the Thunder really like certain players. They’ll have the ability to go after them on draft day and move up a few picks if necessary.

This is the first I’ve heard of the Thunder potentially being interested in Saric, a 19-year old 6-foot-10 small forward from Croatia. But it’s not surprising.

The Thunder are in position right now to get better over a long period of time. They won’t necessarily be looking for a player in the lottery who can immediately come in and help the team.

Saric seems like the type that would be a project. He may not even come over to the NBA right away and if he does for the Thunder, that will likely mean a lot of Tulsa 66ers time for him.

Saric has been described as the European Magic Johnson. If this is true, then I hope the Thunder pick him but it’s hard to believe any comparison with Magic can be true.

Draft night will be an exciting time for the Thunder. With so many options, there’s a lot the Thunder could choose to do.

Apr 10, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Cody Zeller at his press conference for NBA draft. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports

Today at the NBA Draft Combine, former Indiana Hoosier big man Cody Zeller stole the show with an impressive workout.

Zeller posted a standing vertical jump of 35.5 inches, which is the highest recorded by a player 6-foot-9 or taller in the last decade.

Zeller then posted the fastest sprint time among all big men at the camp at 3.15 seconds.

What does all this mean? Hard to tell right now but this is the kind of thing that causes a player’s draft stock to really rise.

Zeller has been up and down over the last year with where scouts projected him to be selected in this draft. At one point, he was thought of as a top three pick and potential number one overall selection. After a pretty weak showing in the NCAA Tournament, some are now saying that Zeller won’t get taken until the very end of the lottery.

Zeller is one of a handful of names that has been linked to the Thunder as a potential selection with their first round pick that they received from the Toronto Raptors in the James Harden trade.

The Thunder may be thinking big because they will likely need to replace Kendrick Perkins some time down the road and Hasheem Thabeet wasn’t exactly the greatest backup center ever last season.

Zeller is looking like an incredible athlete, which is a description that will always follow the Thunder so he may start to be considered an even better fit than before now after the combine.

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Michael Carter-Williams is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The season ended for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night but we can already start looking forward to what will be an eventful and interesting NBA Draft for OKC.

The Thunder own Toronto’s first round draft pick that will likely be towards the end of the lottery.

The NBA Draft combine started today and teams have started meeting with players and conducting interviews.

The Thunder have reportedly interviewed Michael Carter-Williams, Otto Porter and C.J. McCollum thus far.

Michael Carter-Williams said he also interviewed with OKC, Minnesota, Detroit and Charlotte

— Jason Quick (@jwquick) May 16, 2013

Otto Porter has interviewed with Charlotte, Phoenix and OKC. Says he looks at Cleveland, Phoenix and Orlando as being the best fit.

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) May 16, 2013

Lot of teams looking to talk to Lehigh’s CJ McCollum. 15 total interviews scheduled. Thunder, Magic, Nuggets and Cavs already talked to him

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) May 16, 2013

All three of those players are projected lottery picks that have a good chance to get picked before No. 12, where the Thunder will most likely be selecting.

Keep in mind too that the Thunder have a lot of assets they could use to move up a few spots in the draft if they really want to go after someone hard. So all three of these players are real possibilities for OKC.

A lot of mock drafts have the Thunder taking a big man with their first pick, whether that is Alex Len, Cody Zeller or Gorgui Dieng. The thought behind that is they will need to replace Kendrick Perkins eventually and many believe Perkins is a strong candidate to get the amnesty axe this offseason.

The future of Kevin Martin with the Thunder is pretty uncertain as well and there is a very good chance he has played his last game with the team. So replacing him by picking another wing player could be a route the Thunder choose as well.

The Thunder do have Jeremy Lamb on the roster coming into his second season. But the Thunder didn’t actually pick him in last year’s draft and he hardly played this season so they may not be sold much on him.

Carter-Williams seems like a player the Thunder won’t really need. They already have two point guards in Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson. Carter-Williams is a big point who doesn’t have an outside shot and will likely struggle against quicker guards when he gets to the NBA. In a sense, he is more of a true point than either Westbrook or Jackson and could be used playing alongside all of them when the Thunder go small.

Carter-Williams is currently No. 9 on Chad Ford’s Big Board.

Porter fits the mold as an all-around three who may be able to play some four at the next level. There is a good chance he will end up going in the top five though, much higher than where the Thunder could move up.

McCollum battled an injury in his last season at Lehigh but his stock has been rising of late as the news gets around that he is 100 percent. He is a scoring guard who can shoot and could fill that role off the bench for the Thunder. OKC hardly plays rookies anymore though so it’s hard to imagine a player like that having an impact anytime soon with the Thunder.

March 16, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad (15) reacts against the Oregon Ducks during the second half of the championship game of the Pac 12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Oregon defeated UCLA 78-69. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad has been lying about his age. It was believed that he was a 19-year old but news came out today saying that he is really 20 and born in 1992.

Muhammad was one of the highest touted of his class and a lot of that had to do with his age. His dominance over the competition he faced in high school is now just a little bit less impressive.

There’s a good chance that Muhammad will see his draft stock slip slightly now. He was once thought of as a top-three pick but now could end up going later in the lottery.

You also have to factor in that a bunch of players in the NCAA tournament on teams that make it far will likely see their draft stock rise.

The Oklahoma City Thunder of course own the rights to the Toronto Raptors’ first round draft pick this year (as long as it falls within picks 4-14). The Raptors pick would be No. 11 overall if the season ended today and the draft lottery went exactly as planned.

A lot of the projections right now have the Thunder taking Mason Plumlee, Gary Harris or Michael Carter-Williams at that spot.

A lot can happen between now and the draft and Muhammad may slip as far as where the Thunder will end up picking.

One comparison Muhammad has drawn is James Harden (with a little Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in him). He is a lefty like Harden and a lot of his moves and mannerisms look like Harden’s.

This isn’t to say that Muhammad would be the second-coming of Harden if OKC lands him but he might be able to be something like him.

The Thunder don’t seem to have any issue drafting players that come with baggage. Just look at the first round pick they made last year when they took Baylor’s Perry Jones, III.

The Thunder are going to have a very difficult time keeping Kevin Martin after this season. They already have one rookie shooting guard in Jeremy Lamb who is waiting in the wings.

Lamb has yet to see any substantial playing time this season with the Thunder and if that’s because the Thunder aren’t in love with him, then maybe they would draft Muhammad if he is available even though he plays the same position as Lamb.

There’s still a good chance that Muhammad is gone before the Thunder get to pick. Remember that the Thunder have a lot of assets too and moving up in the upcoming draft will definitely be a possibility for them.

Peter Casey-USA TODAY SPORTS

The Oklahoma City Thunder posses two first round draft picks in the upcoming 2013 NBA Draft, theirs and the Toronto Raptors’ (and possibly the Dallas Mavericks’ if it falls after pick No. 20).

The Thunder’s pick will be one of the last ones of the first round but the Raptors’ pick could fall in the top 10. Throw in Charlotte’s second round pick that now belongs to OKC too and the Thunder will be able to move up very high in this draft if they want to.

Thunder GM Sam Presti has been scouting Oklahoma State freshman guard Marcus Smart this season, according to The Oklahoman. Smart is averaging 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season for the 12.4 Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Right now, ESPN’s Chad Ford has Marcus Smart No. 9 on his big board. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Smart is a strong, physical combo guard.

Smart is the kind of player that already has the body and physicality to play at the next level and could be a good fit on the Thunder roster alongside Russell Westbrook in the backcourt.

The Thunder are all about versatility and switching on defense which is something that would cater to Smart’s game. The Thunder could also use some more playmaking with their second unit with the departure of James Harden this season.

The 2013 NBA Draft class has been described as one of the weakest in years but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any good players to come from it. The top of the class is weak but someone like Smart in the middle of the first round could be a very good pick.

It’s not uncommon for teams to draft players that played their college ball nearby too. It’s easy for Presti to go scout Smart and that may make Presti lean more towards taking him when it comes to draft day.

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the NBA right now but they will also more than likely have a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

They acquired the Toronto Raptors’ first round draft pick as part of the James Harden trade and it looks like that pick will be somewhere in the top 10 (it is a top 3 protected pick).

The 2013 Draft Class isn’t on the same level as last year’s draft class but there will be a lot of players available in the lottery that could help out the Thunder a lot.

Part of the reason Thunder GM Sam Presti pulled the trigger and traded Harden was to have options in the future and be able to acquire young talent like they will be able to with the Toronto pick.

OKC could be in the market to add another big man or could be looking for an athletic wing/stretch four to add to its rotation.

The Thunder aren’t exactly a team that has given it’s young players much playing time the past few seasons as we’ve seen this season with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones III playing more for the Tulsa 66ers than OKC.

Nevertheless, here is a look at a few players who might fall to the Thunder in the 2013 NBA Draft:

Alex Len, Maryland, C

Len is a player that has shot up most experts’ draft boards recently. He was originally slated behind center Cody Zeller by most but now could be taken ahead of him. He is a skilled offensive player that is pretty athletic for his position at 7-foot-1, 225 pounds. He needs to add strength once he gets to the league though.

Alex Poythress, Kentucky, F

Poythress is part of John Calipari’s freshman class over at Kentucky and the player with the most NBA-ready body of just about anyone in college. He is 6-foot-7, 215 pounds and immediately jumps off the screen when he moves on the court. He has a little Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in his game and would be a nice addition as an extra wing who can run the floor and defend for the Thunder.

Isaiah Austin, Baylor, F-C

The Thunder already drafted a big man from Baylor this past draft in Jones III and they may be in position to do so again this year. Austin is extremely skilled for his size at 7-foot, 215 pounds. He needs to gain a lot of weight to bang inside in the NBA. He already has very good shot blocking instincts and runs the floor great too.